As the summer heat starts to fade in the UAE, it’s time to focus on on-field action again and specifically the ILT20 Development Tournament.
It’s a tournament for UAE players to put themselves in the shop window for the DP World ILT20’s first-ever auction, which is scheduled to take place in late September, and so there is a lot riding on events at the ICC Academy during the last week of August and the first week of September.
To talk to us about the Vipers’ squad for the Development Tournament is Jack Luffman, the Vipers’ Development Lead and someone who will also work as coach to the side during the upcoming action.
We spoke with Jack the morning after the Development Tournament draft, which took place on the evening of Monday the 18th of August at the Dubai International Stadium.
Representatives of the six franchises were in attendance to select their players for the Development Tournament, and coming up Jack gives us an insight into the players he’s helped select for the Vipers squad.
He talks to us about some of the familiar names in the line-up, including pace bowler Khuzaima bin Tanveer, who went from the 2024 Development Tournament to becoming a break-out star of last year’s ILT20, and also some names who might not be well-known at this stage but who hope to become more so, with this tournament being the start of that journey for them.
Khuzaima has already been retained by the Vipers for season four, but that still leaves three spots for UAE players up for grabs in the auction and so there is plenty of incentive for impressing during the upcoming action.
Jack explains how Director of Cricket Tom Moody, Head Coach James Foster and Vipers CEO Phil Oliver will stay across the details during the Development Tournament and also what he expects from the 18-match event that will culminate with a final on Wednesday the 3rd of September.
It’s a fascinating insight into what goes on behind the scenes to put together a key building block of the Vipers’ strategy for season four of the DP World ILT20.
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