Who is West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph? Decoding his journey
West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph has made a dream start to his Test career. He scored a fighting 36 while batting at number 11 in the first innings of the opening Test at the Adelaide Oval. He then dismissed the talismanic Steve Smith with his very first delivery in international cricket. Here we decode Joseph's stunning journey to glory.
An all-round show from Joseph on Day 1
WI were 133/9 when Joseph arrived to bat for the first time in Tests. With the help of three boundaries and a maximum, he scored a valiant 41-ball 36. His 55-run stand alongside Kemar Roach (17) was stupendous as the visitors finished at 188. And then, the right-arm pacer claimed two wickets for WI, dismissing Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Here are the records scripted by Joseph
Joseph's 36 is now the second-highest Test score by a number-11 WI batter in Australia. Only Ravi Rampaul (40* in Adelaide, 2009) is ahead of him in this regard. Meanwhile, he became the second WI bowler after Tyrell Johnson to claim a wicket with his first delivery in Test cricket. Overall, he became the 23rd bowler to get this mark.
Remarkable rise for Joseph
As per Bharat Sundaresan, Joseph, who hails from a tiny village of Baracara in Guyana, quit a steady job around 18 months back to pursue his cricket career. A Guyanese cricketer, who was his neighbor, sent Joseph to a bowling camp where he was spotted by the legendary Curtly Ambrose. Notably, Joseph had only bowled with tape balls before getting into that camp.
Interaction with the Aussie players
Playing his maiden international game, the 24-year-old showed no signs of nervousness. Joseph asked Labuschagne to tie his shoelaces after facing just three deliveries. Meanwhile, he had bought himself an arm guard just before his Test debut. However, he did not receive any blows on his arms as he tackled the short deliveries from Aussie pacers with utmost precision.
Dismissals of Smith and Labuschagne
Joseph was introduced in the ninth over and in front of him was Smith. He delivered a good length delivery angling back towards the batter. A perplexed Smith could only edge the ball to Justin Greaves in the third slip. In the 15th over, he dismissed Labuschagne with a bouncer. A miscued hook shot meant Gudakesh Motie received an easy catch at fine leg.
Just five FC games before debut
Notably, the young pacer had played just five First-Class games before making his debut. He returned with 21 wickets in those games at an impressive average of 21.80. The tally includes two fifers. His 36 is now his highest score in red-ball cricket. While he also owns two wickets in as many List A games, Joseph has gone wicket-less in two T20 matches.
WI finished at 188
As mentioned, a 55-run stand for the final wicket handed WI a respite as they finished at 188. While Joseph made 36, only Kirk McKenzie (50) scored more than him among Caribbean batters. The former also took two early wickets as the hosts were 59/2 at stumps on Day 1. Notably, WI have not won a Test match Down Under in this century.
