Dubai, UAE ( September 5, 2023) –Former Pakistan all-rounder and Desert Vipers fast bowling coach Azhar Mahmood believes that the squad, season one finalists in the DP World ILT20, can go one step further and lift the silverware when season two gets underway in January 2024.
Mahmood said: “Yes, I think we are stronger than in season one and we are one year older, and we know what we have to do to win this tournament. We know what mistakes we made, and it has been a learning (curve) for every single one of us. We are stronger and hungrier and looking forward to winning this competition.
“On paper we have got all the bases covered but, in the end, you cannot play the game on paper. You have to play on the field and execute the plans on the field really well. If we keep doing the basics right, we will do alright.”
Having taken on key coaching positions in England and Pakistan, Mahmood knows what it takes to win a franchise tournament. He has had a spectacular summer assisting Desert Vipers Director of Cricket and Oval Invincibles Head Coach Tom Moody in taking the Invincibles’ men’s team to victory in The Hundred.
During his role with the Invincibles, and with county side Surrey – themselves on the cusp of back-to-back County Championship successes – Azhar Mahmood has worked with two Desert Vipers stars, Gus Atkinson, and Tom Curran, and he has been impressed with how far they had come since the ILT20.
Speaking about Tom Curran, Mahmood said: “If you see his (Tom Curran) recent record, in terms of batting, he is on a different level. This year in the final (of The Hundred) we (Oval Invincibles) were 30 for five, and the way he and Jimmy Neesham batted was unbelievable. Tom is a phenomenal cricketer, and you want players like him on your team. He is a competitor, and he likes challenges and fighting on the field, and that is what he is all about.”
Coach Mahmood also said Tom now offered the Desert Vipers more options in the top order: “You can play him anywhere, especially when the format is shorter,” said Azhar. “People think he needs to go in the last 30 balls and finish the game, but if he has an opportunity in any franchise where he can build the innings and attack the opposition bowlers (he can be just as effective, if not more so because) he has a bit more time, because he has the ability and skill. He understands the game really well, and he can bat higher, but it all depends on the team combination.”
Mahmood said he was equally excited about England fast bowler Gus Atkinson who has really come into his own since his stint at the Desert Vipers, when he was promoted from a net bowler to the playing squad.
“I have worked really hard with him at Surrey, on the technical and mental side of things, and he has worked with (strength and conditioning coach) Darren Veness on the physical side of things,” said Azhar.
“We all knew of the potential and talent he had, and we just needed to guide him towards the right path, and I am glad that with our guidance he has gone on that right path and is now playing white-ball cricket for England.”
Looking ahead Azhar Mahmood said he was excited about what Atkinson could do for the team, alongside some of the new recruits including Shaheen Shah Afridi: “(Gus) makes things look so easy, his run up is so nice and smooth. He is quicker than you think, he has clocked 94-95 miles per hour, in The Hundred. Last year when he was taking the new ball for us (at the Desert Vipers), he bowled some good spells. I am really excited to see him and Shaheen Shah Afridi running in for Desert Vipers this season,” Mahmood said.
Here are some further responses from Azhar Mahmood on the recruitment of Pakistan players into the squad and much more:
On whether Desert Vipers have an advantage by being the only side to have Pakistan players on the team: “It definitely gives the Desert Vipers an advantage because two of the players, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Shadab Khan, have played a lot of cricket games on those (UAE) pitches and they understand how to bowl and bat there. Bringing a different culture to the dressing room will definitely enhance their (Desert Vipers’) game.”
On previous experience working with Shaheen Shah Afridi: “He is a phenomenal talent, and he was on the (Pakistan) Under-19 team and I have worked with him throughout. During my experience with him on the Under-19 team he was one of my projects. He used to bowl outswingers, but he would never bowl inswingers, and we worked hard on that.
“I am the one who first suggested to him that he bowl yorkers with the new ball, and very often he has had success bowling them. Moving forward, I still have these conversations with him. I am really looking forward to working with him again. Every time he has the ball in his hand, he wants to take wickets.
“He is a really exciting prospect, and he is one of the best left-arm seamers in the world at the moment. The passion and enthusiasm he has always had throughout is phenomenal; whether it is as captain of the Lahore Qalanders (in the Pakistan Super League (PSL)) or whether he is playing anywhere in the world, you see him running in and giving everything to the team. You want people like him in your dressing room. He is not a captain, but a leader.”
On coaching Shaheen Shah Afridi: “I am always in touch with him, whenever he struggles or if he has any issues. He calls me and we discuss things. Now he wants to take wickets and I want him to bowl fuller, but when the ball is not swinging, he needs to drag his length back a little bit, and not go for six yorkers in the first over, like he used to bowl. So, we will have those sorts of discussions when I see him face-to-face during the nets sessions.
On Shadab Khan: “(He is a) phenomenal player; he is a leader, and one of the best fielders in the world. Having him and Wanindu Hasaranga in the same team will boost our energy on the field. Both are competitors on the field, and both have different skills. Shadab Khan is the Islamabad United captain (in the PSL), and I have worked with him in Pakistan. I think Shadab Khan is one of the best all-rounders in the world.”
On Azam Khan: “When I saw him when he was really young, he was (always) a great timer of the ball. He is a phenomenal cricketer; he has great cricketing ability and (he) is a six-hitter. I was lucky enough to have him on the Islamabad United side last year and year before, and he is an impact player.
“His understanding of the game is very good. He remains calm and knows when to attack. In one of the games, I remember he hit Shahid Afridi for four sixes, and he was taking the game deep. This year as well, against Quetta Gladiators, his father’s team, he took the game deep, and he hit Naseem Shah for a six outside the stadium. He has remarkable talent, and I am really looking forward to working with all three Pakistan players again.”
On Sri Lanka fast bowler Matheesha Pathirana: “The first time I met him I found he was very competitive and wanted to learn everything about the game. He is a mini- Malinga with regards to his action, and he has a lot of potential. Last year we worked really hard with him on his control of the ball. During the IPL (Indian Premier League) that followed, he bowled some really good spells. I think he has been working hard and is doing really well, and I am looking forward to working with him this year.”
On England left-arm fast bowler Luke Wood: “Whether he is bowling the first or last ball, he will always be seen running in. He is such a great fielder as well. All these guys have a hunger to learn and as a coach, I am glad these guys want to learn, and I am going to pass my experience and knowledge to them. They can take that to another level, as a coach it is my responsibility to guide them on technical aspects and they can go and achieve their goals for their domestic and international teams.”
On West Indies left-armer Sheldon Cottrell: “Sheldon is a very experienced player having played T20 cricket around the world. He knows his game really well, so you do not have to do too much technical stuff, just little tweaks here and there. From a tactical point of view (we can help) how to bowl and set up a batsman etc. Sheldon is a very quiet guy, he knows what he is doing, and when he is not sure about certain players, he asks questions at team meetings to understand strengths and weaknesses. He is a soldier.”
On UAE all-rounder Ali Naseer: “He is a very talented cricketer. Last year, when he was with us, we worked really hard on his bowling. We tweaked a few things here and there. And while he did not bowl a lot during the tournament, we could see he has good skills and a lot of potential and we had decided that we want to keep in the team for the future. Having said that, when he made his debut, he got back-to-back fifties in One-Day International (ODI) cricket (for the UAE versus the West Indies in Sharjah in June), and he is taking the new ball (for the UAE in ODIs and Twenty20 Internationals), so you can tell he is a genuine all-rounder.”
On Bas de Leede: “He is definitely (an exciting prospect). When he is doing well for his country, at the highest level, (as he did in guiding the Netherlands to the ICC Cricket World Cup in India through outstanding form in the Qualifier in Zimbabwe in June and July), it is telling about (his) temperament and (his) skill level. I am excited to be working with him and I will try my best to help enhance his game to a different level and help him achieve his goals.”
On whether the Desert Vipers can win the ILT20: “Yes, we can win the ILT20, and that is the plan and that is the goal and that what we will try and do.”
The second edition of the ILT20 is scheduled to start in January 2024.The Desert Vipers finished as runners-up in the inaugural edition of the tournament in January and February 2023.
Among the players the Desert Vipers have retained from that first edition are English opening batter Alex Hales, who scored the competition’s first-ever individual hundred and finished as its leading run-scorer, and Wanindu Hasaranga, the Sri Lanka wrist- spinner, the top wicket-taker in the past two editions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
