DP World ILT20 stars excited for new season in UAE

Barely 72 hours before the start of the third season of the DP World ILT20 (January 11-February 9), cricket stars Tim Southee, Ben Dunk, Azam Khan, Tymal Mills, Joe Weatherly and Adam Hose arrived at the Khaleej Times office in Dubai on Wednesday to be part of the trophy tour and share their incredible stories in the game.

The high-profile tournament, which has already become the second-most watched league in the world after the Indian Premier League (IPL), received a big boost last month when Sharjah Warriorz announced the signing of New Zealand legend Southee.

The legendary Kiwi pace bowler, who retired from international cricket last month with victory over England in the final Test of his career, was in great spirit on Wednesday as he looked ahead to the new ILT20 season.

"It was a nice way to finish my international career with a win for New Zealand and now I am really looking forward to this tournament. I am excited to be part of the ILT20," said the 36-year-old pace bowler who finished his international career with 776 wickers across the three formats of the game.

Southee is also going to lead Warriorz in his debut season at ILT20.

"It's an exciting challenge to lead the side. It's a very good team with a good mix of players from around the world," he said.

The tournament, which will also see the return of Australian legend David Warner for Dubai Capitals, is a great platform for UAE's local players to learn from the big stars.

"Of course, this tournament gives them a chance to grow and improve their game and learn from top international players," Southee said.

"I hope the local players will continue to learn and continue to ask questions about the game. I hope they enjoy their game and continue to find ways to become better cricketers."

Meanwhile, dashing Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan hopes to play a big role in the third season with his explosive skills for Desert Vipers.

"I had a great season last year, so I am quite excited this year as well," said Azam, son of former Pakistan captain Moin Khan.

"We haven't won the championship so it would be nice if we end up on a winning note. I also take this opportunity to wish everyone best of luck for the tournament. So very excited for the tournament. Let's see what happens."

Several aspiring young cricketers also attended the event on Wednesday.

And the 26-year-old Azam advised them to always play cricket with a positive frame of mind without worrying about results in matches.

"If you become negative, you can lose confidence in yourself. So I personally believe that you always need to have a positive mind to play cricket and that's what I always try to do," he said.

Tymal Mills, the England pace bowler who will play for Gulf Giants, echoed Azam's sentiments when asked what advice he would give to budding cricketers in the UAE.

"Just enjoy your cricket. Find something that you do particularly well, whether it's the bat or the ball, and just enjoy the game," the 32-year-old player said.

Adam Hose, Azam's teammate at Desert Vipers, is hoping for a great start in the tournament.

"I am feeling good and very excited for the start of the tournament," the English batter said.

"The goal, of course, is to try to win this tournament. We have a good team and it will be very good for us if we can make a good start."

While Joe Weatherly, another English cricketer who will defend the colours of Dubai Capitals, praised the world-class cricket facilities in the UAE, his teammate Ben Dunk opened up about the changing landscape of cricket after the explosion of T20 franchise leagues.

"Cricket has changed so much in the last five or 10 years. What franchise cricket has done around the world is to give an opportunity to local players and local spectators to watch some of the best cricketers in the world," the Australian player said.

"So franchise cricket will continue to grow and local players will have greater access to players from around the world, and that's a very good thing."

The players signed autographs for the aspiring cricketers who also got a chance to bowl at the stars in a temporary net set up by Khaleej Times, the official media partner of the ILT20.

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW

DP World ILT20

When: January 11-February 9

Where: Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah

Teams: 6