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In this episode we hear from fast bowling coach Azhar Mahmood after the Vipers became the first side in the history of the DP World ILT20 to win eight matches in the regular season, beating the Sharjah Warriorz by five wickets with three balls to spare at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

The Vipers won thanks to a disciplined bowling display as the Warriorz were restricted to 140 for seven. Max Holden then made an unbeaten 65, during the course of which he became the leading run-scorer in the tournament.

22 were needed from the final two overs, but Hassan Nawaz hit three sixes in an unbeaten 25, to remove any fears of a loss going into the post-season play-offs.

The Vipers will now play in Qualifier 1 on December the 30th. Win that and they are straight through to the final on January the 4th; lose it and they have a second route to the final, via Qualifier 2 in Sharjah on January the 2nd.

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In this episode we catch up with wicketkeeper-batter Andries Gous.

Andries is on the comeback trail after injuring a calf muscle in the fourth match of the season, against MI Emirates but he’s now close to a return to action and in our conversation, he talks about how he suffered the injury, his rehabilitation, what it’s been like on the sidelines and plenty more.

It’s a chat that’s well worth your time!

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In this episode we catch up with Vipers new boy Jason Roy.

Jason’s feet have barely touched the ground since joining the franchise off the back of a tournament-ending injury to Shimron Hetmyer and, having played back-to-back matches as soon as he arrived in the UAE, he’s now had a chance to draw breath and catch up for a chat with us.

And it’s a terrific chat too, as he reflects on how his joining the Vipers came about, what he’s been up to since the end of the English county season, his unfamiliar role in the middle order, his catch of the season contender, the atmosphere within the Vipers set-up and lots, lots more.

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In this episode we hear from Head Coach James Foster as he reflects on the four-wicket loss to MI Emirates at the Dubai International Stadium.

The Vipers were well-shackled on a tricky pitch, and after being put into bat they scrambled to 124 for seven, piloted by Dan Lawrence's unbeaten 35 from 34 balls.

In reply, MI Emirates got home with 15 balls in hand, although the Vipers made them work hard for their victory. Dan bowled superbly to take one for 13 in four overs of off-spin, while there were impressive efforts with the ball from Matiullah Khan (two for 18) and Sanjay Pahal (none for 14), both of them bowling for the Vipers for the first time.

James reflects on all those things and plenty more, as well as discussing a calf injury sustained by captain Lockie Ferguson, with Sam Curran taking over leadership duties during the fielding innings.

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In this episode we look back on another win for the team, this time by four wickets against the Sharjah Warriorz at the Dubai International Stadium.

We’ll do that looking back in the company of fast bowler Khuzaima bin Tanveer, who celebrated his birthday in style by taking two wickets, as well as Tom Bruce and Vriitya Aravind, who were together at the crease when the winning run was struck with 37 balls in hand.

Sharjah batted first and were bowled out for 90 as David Payne, named player of the match, took three for 14, and there were only two Warriorz players in double figures.

In reply, the Vipers batting wobbled a little and the side was 30 for three at one stage. But Sam Curran, captaining the side as Lockie Ferguson rested, scored 37 from 31 balls to ease any nerves.

The match also marked the Vipers debut of Jason Roy, who has been drafted into the squad in place of Shimron Hetmyer, with the West Indian batter ruled out of the tournament with a hamstring injury.

The Vipers now have just two more matches left in the league stage of the tournament and this win has guaranteed the team a top-two finish in that league, which means two potential opportunities to qualify for the final on the 4th of January.

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In this episode we speak with Pakistan opening bat Fakhar Zaman as he gives us a terrific insight into his mindset and what he expects from himself as a player.

Fakhar also speaks at length about how the side will look to bounce back from a first defeat of the season, in the previous match against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders; what it has been like batting with his two opening partners this term, Andries Gous and Max Holden; and what the pitches and conditions have been like for this season’s matches.

Fakhar also talks of his role as a senior professional within the side and assesses the contributions of fast bowlers Khuzaima bin Tanveer and Naseem Shah as well as top-order batter Hassan Nawaz and he discusses the fact that, next up, the Vipers will be facing a Sharjah side that has won its past two matches.

It’s a fantastic conversation, full of fascinating insights.

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This time we hear from captain Lockie Ferguson as he reflects on defeat by the narrowest of margins, one run, against the Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in Abu Dhabi.

The loss is the Vipers' first of this campaign after starting off with six successive victories, but the consolation is that the side is still comfortably top of the league stadings and has already qualified for the end-of-season play-offs

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In this episode we hear from Head Coach James Foster as he reflects on the Vipers making it six wins from six starts this season, courtesy of a five-wicket victory against the Dubai Capitals at the Dubai International Stadium.

The success ensures the Vipers have qualified for the end-of-season play-offs but there is still work to be done to make sure of a top-two berth that would guarantee two opportunities to reach the final.

This was the Vipers' seasonal Sustainability Match, during which they shine a light on green issues, and we also hear from CEO Phil Oliver and Head of Strategy Matt Bailey as they explain why the franchise is so committed to this cause.

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