ILT20: Pakistan trio will give Desert Vipers ‘competitive advantage’ against rivals

Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan will be the first Pakistan national team players to feature in the UAE T20 league next season

Pakistan's Shadab Khan, left, and Shaheen Afridi will be part of the Desert Vipers squad for this year's ILT20. AFP

When the DP World International League T20 was still in the planning stage ahead of its debut season, the Desert Vipers acknowledged they were giving up a little in terms of expertise to their rivals.

Three of the other sides were, after all, offshoots of Indian Premier League franchises and therefore had a ready infrastructure.

The Vipers, by contrast, were starting with a blank canvas. They made a good fist of it, making the final at the first attempt, where they lost out to Gulf Giants.

Now, the Vipers might be about to steal a march on their opposition.

The Vipers are owned by the American businessman Avram Glazer. The other five franchises have Indian owners: three with associations to the IPL, the other two with the women’s version of that competition.

It may not be a coincidence that the Vipers are the only side so far to have looked to Pakistan to recruit players, since they have become available ahead of Season 2.

They will welcome Shaheen Afridi, Shadab Khan and Azam Khan when the new campaign starts in January 2024.

The prospect of playing alongside such a high calibre trio is something Ali Naseer, the teenage all-rounder from the UAE, is relishing.

“Our squad was supposed to have Azam Khan last time but because of some NOC issues he couldn’t get in,” Naseer said.

“It is really good to have three of the best Pakistan players out there in our team.

“It will give us a good competitive advantage in this tournament because there is only one Shaheen Afridi in the world, and luckily he is in our team.”

The chance for home-based players to learn from world leading players like Shaheen is one of the key factors of the ILT20, according to the organisers.

Naseer said he was thrilled when he found out the star left-arm fast bowler would be joining his team.

“Desert Vipers posted a hint a couple of weeks back with an eagle and a red car,” Naseer said.

“Straight off the bat I knew it was going to be Shaheen Afridi because all the hints were pretty obvious. When they finally announced it, I was happy.

“To be around someone like that, someone who bowls so well and is such a key player for Pakistan, that will be amazing.

“He is obviously one of the best left-arm swing bowlers in the world right now. All of us saw in the [first Asia Cup] game against India the way he bowled.

“Working with him, I’ll try to ask him different questions and pick his brains.”

Naseer’s own impact on the first ILT20 was limited. He was batted down the order and did not get a chance to bowl.

In the time since, though, he has debuted in international cricket for the UAE and has shown himself to be a player of great potential.

He scored half centuries in each of his first two one-day international innings, against the West Indies, and subsequently captained the UAE A team in the Emerging Teams Asia Cup.

“The fact I am able to balance my university with my cricket is also really good,” said Naseer, who is a student at university in Leeds in the UK.

“It is quite tough but I think I am doing well. I have played against some of the biggest teams – New Zealand, West Indies, Sri Lanka – and that is really good for me.

“Hopefully I can finish off my last two years of university and then try and come back and play full time in the UAE team and some franchise leagues around the world.”