Cricket West Indies congratulate Shamar Joseph on being named ICC Player of the Month for January
West Indies fast bowler, Shamar Joseph has been named the International Cricket Council (ICC) Player of the Month for January, after his heroics in the two-match drawn Test Series against Australia.
In his first Test Match at the Adelaide Oval, Joseph scored 36 (41 balls) with the bat, including 3 fours and a six, in an innings where he took on the formidable Australian pace attack.
He then took an impressive 5 wicket haul, including having Steve Smith caught at slip off his first ever delivery in Test cricket, before claiming the wickets of Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.
Building on his success in the first Test, Shamar came back in the second Test at the Gabba, Brisbane, still hungry for more. He took one wicket in the first innings and had to retire hurt at the end of Day 3 after being hit flush in the toe by a yorker from Mitchell Starc while batting.
GUYANA HARPY EAGLES FAST BOWLER RONSFORD BEATON SUSPENDED FROM BOWLING
ST JOHN’S, Antigua – Ronsford Beaton, the Guyana Harpy Eagles fast bowler, was reported for a suspect bowling action during the ongoing West Indies Championship four-day first-class competition. Beaton’s action was cited by match officials during the first-round match between Guyana Harpy Eagles and Trinidad and Tobago Red Force at the Conaree Cricket Centre in St. Kitts, which ended last Saturday.
As part of the process, once a player is reported for a suspect bowling action, video footage from the match in which the player was reported is provided to CWI. The video footage along with the written report is then sent to the CWI Bowling Review Group (BRG) and Loughborough University for analysis using an Opinion Report.
On Sunday, Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirmed that the Opinion Report by the Independent Assessor at Loughborough University, has found Beaton’s bowling action to be illegal and, as such, he has been suspended from bowling in all West Indies international and regional matches with immediate effect.
The assessment revealed that Beaton’s deliveries exceeded the level of tolerance for extension of the elbow permitted under playing regulations. As per the International Cricket Council (ICC) regulations the suspension will also apply to all other domestic leagues worldwide.
Shamar Joseph is ICC Player-of-the-Month for January
Guyanese fast bowler Shamar Joseph has been voted the ICC Men’s Player-of-the-Month for January 2024.
Not many players have made a more impressive start to their international career than Joseph, with the West Indies quick rising from relative obscurity to the cusp of stardom after just two matches.
Joseph’s introduction to international cricket was so eye-catching, that the right-armer beat out strong opposition from England batter Ollie Pope and Australia seamer Josh Hazlewood to claim the first men’s monthly award for the new calendar year.
It didn’t take long for Joseph to make his mark on debut in the first Test against Australia as the 24-year-old revived memories of West Indies quicks of yesteryear when he claimed the prized wicket of the world’s number two ranked batter Steve Smith with his very first delivery.
Read more at Newsroom
Cricket intelligence needed
RECENTLY, I read where it was suggested to prepare faster pitches in the Caribbean which would produce quicker bowlers, hence, more victories for the West Indies. Furthermore, it was said that fast-bowling talents can be unearthed by producing faster wickets and implementing more strategic scouting initiatives.
This advice was uttered mainly because of the Test match success of Shamar Joseph on the recent Australian tour re-kindling thoughts of that era of West Indian cricket that saw the Test team participate in 29 Test series in 15 years between 1980 and 1995, not losing a single series.
In early 1980, there was a contentious and forgettable tour of New Zealand that has been remembered by the bad behaviour of some West Indian cricketers. The umpiring was so poor, guided by bias, plus hometown decisions, that the skipper talked to his players during a tea break when he decided not to continue the Test match. That, of course, would have been wrong, however, it goes to show how frustrated the team was with the way they were being treated on the field of play.
Nonetheless, West Indies lost the three-Test series against NZ by a one-nil margin, an unlikely outcome for a series between the two opponents, especially after the visitors had completed a comprehensive two-nil defeat in a three-Test rubber against Australia just a week earlier. The Windies cricketers still believe they were treated unfairly by the NZ umpires. In those days the umpires were not from neutral countries.
Read more at Newsday
Joseph signs with Lucknow in IPL
Fast bowling sensation Shamar Joseph is set to feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) after signing a US$362,000 deal with Lucknow Super Giants.
The 24-year-old will replace England speedster Mark Wood who media reports say has been recalled by England and Wales Cricket Board to prepare for upcoming assignments.
At Super Giants, Joseph will join fellow West Indies player Kyle Mayers and will be part of a fast bowling contingent that includes Afghan Naveen-ul-Haq and Englishman David Willey.
Super Giants were good enough to make the play-offs of last season’s IPL before being knocked out by Mumbai Indians.
The Twenty20 franchise deal is the second to emerge for Joseph after he was signed by Daren Sammy’s Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League which bowls off later this month.
Joseph shot to prominence on the recent drawn two-Test tour of Australia when he produced a Man of the Series performance to earn West Indies their first Test win down under in nearly three decades.
The right-armer snatched a five-wicket haul on debut in Adelaide as West Indies went down by 10 wickets, and returned with figures of seven for 68 in the second innings in Brisbane to bowl West Indies to an eight-run victory on the fourth day.
Joseph finished the series with 13 wickets at 17 runs apiece.
Coutesy of Jamaica Observer