Dubai, UAE (December 20, 2022) – Former Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal headlines three new additions to an already powerful Desert Vipers line-up, along with left-arm wrist spinner Jake Lintott and fast-bowling all-rounder Gus Atkinson.
The three signings will feature in the Desert Vipers squad that will play at the inaugural ILT20 tournament in the UAE early next year.
Tom Moody, the Desert Vipers Director of Cricket, is thrilled with the new signings and believes Chandimal’s leadership qualities, Gus Atkinson’s genuine pace and Jake Lintott’s subtleties combine to add great value to an already outstanding group of players while adding depth, flexibility, and variety.
Dinesh Chandimal has a vast amount of international experience having played 70 Tests, 157 ODIs and 58 T20 Internationals for Sri Lanka, and captained the team in a total of 57 matches. And Tom Moody believes this will be invaluable to the side.
“The real positive with Dinesh is he is a natural leader, and he has had those responsibilities with Sri Lanka,” said Moody. “He is a versatile cricketer who can offer a position anywhere in the batting order. He is also a highly recognised wicketkeeper and if we want to play him as a pure batter, he is (also) more than capable in the field.”
Chandimal is not currently in the Sri Lankan T20I squad and believes the ILT20 is a chance for him to show the world that he still has what it takes at a high level.
“This (ILT20) is a real opportunity to showcase your talent,” he said. “If you can perform well, you can show the world how capable you are in T20 cricket. I am really thankful to the Desert Vipers management and coaching staff for giving me this opportunity to come and play in this league. I am looking forward to doing well, and I cannot wait to play in the tournament.
“(In) this kind of forum, if you can perform well, it means good things for your future. If you can perform well, you can represent any league in the world. So, this is a forum for us as players, not just senior players but younger players as well, to showcase their talent in front of crowds.”
Tom Moody, too, believes a tournament like the ILT20 can help Chandimal remind the Sri Lankan selectors of his talent.
“It is a terrific opportunity for him (Chandimal). He was on the reserve list for the T20 World Cup but did not quite make the final cut. He is not far away, and Sri Lanka recognise he is a valuable T20 player but in that role with the wicketkeeper-batting role, they (Sri Lanka) are a bit spoilt for choice.
“So, his main selection priority is for 50-over cricket and Test cricket, but he is also smashing down that T20 door. Having an impact in the ILT20 with the Desert Vipers is only going to do someone like him a world of good, as it reminds the Sri Lankan selectors and the world of cricket that he is a genuine three format player. He has been doing that recently in the Lanka Premier League where he is having an impact with some good performances so, all-round, we are thrilled to have him as part of our team.”
Surrey’s fast-bowling all-rounder Gus Atkinson offers variety to the Desert Vipers bowling attack and Tom Moody believes he is one of the more exciting talents coming through the system in the UK.
“He (Gus) has got genuine pace, and we believe it is an important element to have in your squad,” said Moody. “(He is) someone who can bowl at up to 85-90 miles per hour and have an impact in all three phases of the innings.
“He has certainly been on our radar at the Desert Vipers for some time because we not only like to identify players with vast amounts of experience, but we also like to identify players that have got a lot of upside and we feel Gus is certainly in that category.”
With 33 wickets in 23 T20 matches at a strike rate of just a touch over 12 balls for every wicket he has taken, Tom Moody believes Atkinson is a real wicket-taker.
“That is the attraction – the fact that he gives us that X factor with that genuine pace, and I think there are only better things to come with regards to Gus, and what he brings to the table.
“The more exposure he gets to tournaments like the ILT20, and with his county at Surrey, the better he is going to get and, who knows, I am sure there may be international honours not too far away.”
Atkinson has faith in his own abilities and believes what he lacks in experience he makes up for with his controlled pace: “I can bowl quick which helps, and I know where I am going to bowl,” he said.
“Sometimes people who bowl quick are not quite sure where the ball is going to go. I am pretty confident with my skills in the T20 format. I feel I am relatively smart with the how I bowl. I am inexperienced, but things have gone well so far for me in this format, so I will continue to do what I have been doing and hopefully it keeps going well.
“I do not know about (my) expectations (for ILT20), (but) hopefully I can have a great tournament and the Vipers can have a great tournament. It would be amazing if we can win it, I am sure that is what everyone will be thinking about in the first edition of the tournament. Hopefully, we can have a good tournament and getting the trophy would be amazing.”
Left-arm wrist spinner Jake Lintott joins the ranks as an addition to the spin bowling attack and Tom Moody believes he will complement an already formidable spin attack at the Desert Vipers which includes leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, left-arm finger-spinner Mark Watt and off-spinner Rohan Mustafa.
“Yes, we have ticked the final box with Jake as we have every other spin variety covered, and he has had a fascinating career, where he has had that real impact in this format of the game. This (T20) is where he specialises,” said Moody.
“He is a bowler with impressive economy and strike rates. I just see him complementing what we already have. Depending on the opposition and conditions we are facing, there is no reason we cannot look at playing all our spinners as potential options. Jake gives us a real point of difference. If the wickets do dry up and start turning, then he is an exciting option for us.”
Lintott comes in as an outlier, who spent a lot of time playing Minor County cricket in England and he has had to grind his way up the ranks, to break into the county cricket scene.
“I started out as any other cricketer wanting to sign a contract at eighteen, but I did not end up signing a full-time professional contract until I was twenty-six,” said Lintott.
“It has been a much longer process, with many bumps in the road and setbacks and failures, but I managed to get where I wanted to get to. I signed my first contract with Warwickshire two years ago. It has been a bit different, but I would not have it any other way. I feel like I have come into the game ready, instead of learning on the job. I feel in a good place and ready to contribute wherever I am needed.”
It is exactly these qualities that have impressed Tom Moody, who said: “I find with players who have had to put in the harder yards, the longer road to finding that opportunity, have a lot more resilience rather than those who get those opportunities early in their career. Jake is a good example of that.
“He has had to find a longer road to get his opportunity and he is a resilient and creative player because of that. That is a plus for us (Desert Vipers) because of his unique journey into his T20 career and we will be the beneficiaries of that.”