Mumbai: The Desert Vipers confirmed Colin Munro as the team’s captain for season two of the DP World ILT20.
The New Zealander, who led the side to the final in the first edition of the tournament before losing out to the Gulf Giants, was announced as captain at the squad’s jersey launch at Soul Beach at the JA Resort in Jebel Ali.
Munro has been handed a squad with the core of that 2023 team retained, and some exciting new faces added, including Pakistani players Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Azam Khan and Mohammad Amir.
Munro, who has arrived off the back of taking charge at the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League in Australia, said he was excited at the prospect of leading the team again and pinpointed what he thought was his best quality as a leader: “I think a little bit of maturity,” he said. “I think as a leader you must show vulnerability sometimes because I am not perfect and I am never going to be perfect; I don’t expect the players to be perfect, but one thing I do expect is for players to plan and prepare really well.
“Different players do that, and if I know what makes those boys tick so they can get ready for games then we can be just open and honest.
“You are not going to please all 22 players and it is extremely hard to keep all of them happy, but if I can do my best and make sure my communication to them is clear and honest, I hope they can take that and run with it.”
Speaking about Colin Munro’s appointment as captain again this year, Head Coach James Foster said it was a very straightforward decision for himself and Director of Cricket Tom Moody.
“It was a very easy decision (to retain Colin as captain),” he said. “Last year it was probably the first time he was a full-time captain but I was very clear and confident I wanted him to be captain last year, and I thought he did a brilliant job.
“He grew into the role and he has a wealth of experience. I was just looking the other day he has scored 10,000 T20 runs. He is an absolute world-class performer.
“It is not easy being captain and I thought he did a phenomenal job. Everybody has got the answers from afar and commentators suggesting X, Y and Z.I thought he kept calm, and embodied that togetherness that we tried to create during the campaign and sense of belonging within the group.”
Speaking at the jersey launch, Director of Cricket Tom Moody spoke about the team’s cricketing goals for the season, and he began by saying how important it was to retain the core of players from the previous season.
“Ultimately you want to have some sort of continuity, within a squad, and around your fan base,” he said.
“We are looking to build a fan base here in the UAE and beyond the shores of UAE, where people can be familiar with the faces of those who represent the Desert Vipers. We also looked to improve on our squad; like every team, we are looking to improve.
“Last year we were a step away from being champions, and we have set our sights on trying to make that final step in 2024. With the introduction of a few Pakistan players in
our group, it is great to welcome such a strong cricketing nation to the UAE and the ILT20 and more importantly to the Desert Vipers. The likes of Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan, and Azam Khan, and players of that world-class quality are only going to add to the strength of the side and the excitement of cricket that we play and for the fans to watch.”
With sustainability at the core of Desert Vipers’ operations, the jersey launch maintained that theme as the captain arrived at Soul Beach along with UAE all-rounder Rohan Mustafa on a 5.48-metre rowboat called the Ocean Guardian.
The boat was rowed by its owner, Toby Gregory, the adventurer and environmental campaigner, and it was a green replacement for the motorized boat used for the jersey launch last year.
Founder of the Plastic Pledge and a Sustainability Impact Partner for the franchise, Toby together with two colleagues, rowed this very boat 5225 kilometres across the Atlantic Ocean 12 months ago, from the Canary Islands to Antigua.
Looking ahead, Gregory said the road towards being more sustainable was a long one: “The journey ahead for myself and the team is much greater as we seek to embed sustainability in everything the Desert Vipers do. They have made a great start and this reflects all the efforts the team is making, which is very different to any other sporting entity I am familiar with.”
The jersey reveal featured Colin Munro, who was wearing the match kit that has maintained the predominantly red look of season one, while Rohan Mustafa revealed the training kit, which is green and in keeping with the team’s green goals.
Meanwhile, the fan kit featured the text “Net Zero 2040 – The Vipers Pledge” on the front, once again confirming the team’s pledge to sustainability.
Adding to sustainability activations on the day was the presence of thirty students from Gems Metropole school in Dubai (part of the Desert Vipers school and community outreach programme), who volunteered to help with a beach clean-up activity and participated in a sustainability workshop held by Ben Hardy-Jones, the Desert Vipers sustainability manager.
The students gathered on the beach to welcome the players off the boat, waving the red Desert Vipers flags. They had the chance to interact with players and coaches attending the event, including Head Coach James Foster, fast bowling coach Azhar Mahmood, and players Bas de Leede and Michael Jones.
The Desert Vipers have already taken on the challenge of walking the talk, through an array of changes. An example is in the team room at the hotel where single-use plastic bottles have been replaced by a water dispenser, and all players have been given their own refillable bottles to use.
The coaches, players and management have backed these changes, said team CEO Phil Oliver. “Climate change really does affect cricket in a very serious way so we are just keen to do what we can and that really does for the strategic outlook for season two and beyond.
“I think we realise we have the opportunity as a sports team to do something different and that is what we aspire to. It is a real breakthrough for a cricket team to do that in this region.
“We are very proud of what we are doing but what is important is the journey ahead and what we do. We have got off to a great start and we know we can engage cricket fans here and globally with our messages.
“The great thing is the players have bought into this and together we can do this. We have a story to tell, and we look forward to everyone joining us on this journey.”
Director of Cricket Tom Moody, too, said he believed the changes called for would not be hard to implement: “I do not think this affects the group at all,” he said.
“This generation of players are fully aware and conscious of what is happening out there with the globe and if we can make a small contribution in what we do, and set a standard as a sporting organisation, that is the least we can do.
“As far as how it affects the group, it is just a small behavioural change. We will still have the ability to get drinks, whether it is water or hydration drinks, easily, at the hotel or the ground or training ground. It is no big deal. It is just about making sure you bring your necessary drinking vessels with you and keep them full and cold and replenished.”
Colin Munro agreed: “As players, we have a platform that we can try and use, and I am not saying that we are all perfect but one little change here and there can go a long way.”
It is exactly this attitude from the Desert Vipers that encouraged Toby Gregory from Plastic Pledge to partner with the team: “I think there are lots of sporting entities locally and globally that want to be a part of environmental change but what really attracted me to the team is the mindset and the way they are doing things.
“It is not words, it is action,” said Gregory. “From a Desert Vipers perspective, they should be commended because they really do look at what they are doing and see how they can do it better, and they are going to be willing to share that data across sports.
“So, not just from a cricketing perspective but from a global perspective, they are changing the game.”
The DP World ILT20 gets underway on Friday 19 January and the Desert Vipers’ first match is against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday 21 January.
Tickets for all Desert Vipers matches are now on sale and can be purchased via the official DP World ILT20 website or at any Virgin Megastore across the UAE.
Colin Munro on captaincy: “I think as a leader you have to show vulnerability sometimes because I am not perfect and I am never going to be perfect; I don’t expect the players to be perfect, but one thing I do expect is for players to plan and prepare really well.”
James Foster on Colin Munro: “It is not easy being captain and I thought he did a
phenomenal job in season one.”
Phil Oliver on achieving the team’s sustainability goals: “The great thing is the players have bought into this and together we can do this. We have a story to tell, and we look forward to everyone joining us on this journey.”
Tom Moody on making changes to meet sustainability goals: “This generation of players are fully aware and conscious of what is happening out there with the globe and if we can make a small contribution in what we do, and set a standard as a sporting organisation, that is the least we can do.”
