DUBAI: Desert Vipers head coach Azhar Mahmood has urged his side to learn from its shortcomings after the franchise’s Guyana Global Super League campaign ended with defeat in the qualifier, while highlighting the emergence of UAE players as a major positive from the tournament.
The Vipers missed out on a place in Saturday’s final after losing by eight wickets to the San Francisco Unicorns in Guyana on Friday.
After being bowled out for 122 for seven, the Unicorns chased down the target with 23 balls to spare to book a meeting with defending champions Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Mahmood acknowledged that the Vipers had fallen short in a match where their batting struggled against spin, but said there were encouraging signs to build on.
“I think we were not up to the mark. After we lost a couple of early wickets of Andries Gous and Rilee Rossouw, I felt our intent was not there. And we did not build up partnerships. Running between the wickets was not great either,” Mahmood said on the “Vipers Voices” podcast.
“They (San Francisco Unicorns) bowled really well. They had, I think, 17 overs of spin. They have experienced finger spinners and they bowled wicket to wicket and put us into trouble.”
Despite the disappointment of falling short of the final, Mahmood pointed to several standout individual performances during the tournament, particularly from UAE internationals Vriitya Aravind and Sanjay Pahal.
“I think there were some positives throughout the tournament, like Rilee (Rossouw) played really well. Unfortunately, he missed out in this game. And I think Vriitya Aravind and Sanjay Pahal, our two UAE boys, did a remarkable job for us, especially Vriitya with the way he batted throughout of the tournament. I think that is a plus sign for us,” he said.
“And Sanjay — in this last game, he bowled three crucial overs and one power play over. So, that is positive for us. And that is how a game goes — it is another tournament and I think we have to learn from our mistakes.”
Aravind was one of the Vipers’ most consistent performers in Guyana, finishing the qualifier unbeaten on 29 from 20 balls after earlier contributing valuable runs throughout the competition.
Left-arm spinner Khary Pierre also impressed, ending the tournament as its leading wicket-taker with nine wickets after claiming two wickets in the qualifier.
Mahmood said inconsistency prevented the Vipers from challenging for the title despite showing flashes of their potential throughout the tournament.
“(I feel) disappointed at the moment, because we did not qualify for the finals as we played good cricket in patches. We did not play a complete game throughout the tournament,” he said.
“We were good in some aspects of the game, like (sometimes) the bowling was good and (in the same match) our batting was not that good.
“There were a lot of challenges, the conditions were very different ... the nature of the pitches and the conditions are tough here and you have to adapt and learn quickly and move on.”
The coach added that the experience gained in unfamiliar conditions would help the squad going forward as it turns its attention to future competitions.
