Afghanistan’s left-arm wrist-spinner Noor Ahmad is heading back to the UAE, this time in Desert Vipers colours, after the club drafted him in for the fourth season of the International League T20. He steps straight into the slot left by Wanindu Hasaranga, who stays home to meet domestic duties in Sri Lanka.
At just 20 Noor has already clocked up more air miles than many seasoned pros. He has been sighted in the IPL, the Hundred, CPL, SA20, BBL and PSL, and even had a seven-match run with Sharjah Warriorz during the ILT20’s very first campaign in 2022-23. His record in the Emirates is tidy enough: 15 wickets from 14 T20s, going at 6.84 an over and averaging a shade under 24.
The Vipers’ dressing-room shouldn’t feel completely foreign. Fellow Afghans Qais Ahmad and Faridoon Dawoodzai are on the roster, something Noor is clearly happy about. “I played in the first season of the competition and so I know what to expect from conditions,” Noor said. “With two other Afghanistan players in the squad there will be some familiar faces for me as soon as I walk through the door.”
Hasaranga’s absence stings, yet a left-arm wrist-spinner who finished second on the IPL wicket list earlier this year is a decent consolation. The Vipers could use the boost. They have reached two ILT20 finals – the opener in 2022-23 and last season – and lost both, to Gulf Giants first and then Dubai Capitals in a squeaker settled in the final over.
A third crack at the trophy begins on 2 December, when the Vipers meet the Capitals in Dubai in a straight reprise of last season’s finale. Barring late international call-ups, Noor is expected to be available from ball one right through to, Vipers hope, the last.
