Guyana-born fast bowler Shamar Joseph expressed his delight and readiness for his maiden Test assignment as a member of the West Indies squad set to tour Australia next month.
Despite his rapid rise to international cricket, the 24-year-old cricketer revealed that his selection didn’t entirely catch him by surprise.
“It didn’t come to me as a surprise, but at the same time, I was emotional and happy because playing for West Indies was my dream,” Joseph explained during an interview on Starcom Network’s Mason and Guest cricket show. “It was always my dream, so when I received the message, I was very, very happy.”
Made his first-class debut in February of the previous year
Joseph, who made his first-class debut in February of the previous year, was chosen for the 15-man squad after only playing five first-class matches. His consistent performance, including an impressive eight-wicket haul in a four-day “Test” match in South Africa, contributed to his selection.
“When I was in Trinidad [for the Super50], Mr. Desmond Haynes (chief selector) talked to me and he said, ‘all you have to do is just do well.’ So that definitely encouraged me that I had to go and do what I had to do, picking up 12 wickets in two matches [for West Indies-A in South Africa]. Consistency was something I worked on over there,” Joseph said.
Joseph emphasized that his success in South Africa was rooted in discipline and sticking to the basics. He plans to maintain the same approach during the challenging tour to Australia, where he expects different conditions with bounce and pace.
‘I want to maintain discipline’
“It all depends on discipline. I want to maintain discipline, which is important,” he explained. “The basics in cricket are just to stick to the areas [and] things will happen. I’m not saying that all the balls will hit one spot, but the more consistent you [are], the more things will happen for you. That’s all I did in South Africa. I just stuck to the basics, and things happened for me.”
Joseph expressed his excitement and readiness for the Australian tour, recognizing the importance of fast bowling in those conditions.
“I’m really excited. Not only that, but after putting in a lot of work, I have been looking forward to opportunities like these, and I’m really excited,” Joseph said. “I’ll be going to Australia where you know fast bowling is very important, so I’m very excited.”
West Indies is scheduled to play two Tests in Australia from January 17-29.
