Shamar Joseph

Shamar Joseph is a Guyanese cricketer who plays for Guyana in first-class cricket and for the West Indies in international cricket. He made his international debut for the West Indies in January 2024 against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.

Early life:

• Prior to his professional cricket career, he worked as a security guard.
• Joseph is from Baracara, a small community in East Berbice-Corentyne, Guyana. He was born in a family of three sisters and five brothers. He grew up with little to no access to internet facilities or telephone connections.
• Joseph grew up idolising Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh, opening bowlers of the West Indies cricket team. He watched their highlights and imitated them in his tape ball games around the village.
• He started bowling with fruits such as lemons, limes, guavas and peaches along with a tape ball and it was dubbed as jungle – land cricket in Baracara. He also practiced using balls made of melted plastic bottles.
• He experienced his first taste of cricket playing for Tucker Park Cricket Club in a few first – division and second – division matches. He became the first test cricketer from Baracara.

Domestic Career:

• Joseph immediately made a great impression, recording debut figures of 6/13 in Division 1 cricket. He also stamped his authority further when he took eight wickets in a trial game and it eventually prompted him to gain a call – up to first-class cricket.
• Joseph was named as one of four uncapped players by the Guyana Harpy Eagles for the 55th edition of the Regional Four Day Competition and never played or represented Guyana at any level prior to his call-up for the first-class cricket tournament.
• First class debut: for Guyana against Barbados on 1 February 2023 during the 2022 – 2023 West Indies Championship
• He took his first career five – wicket haul in first – class cricket against Windward Islands during the 2022 – 2023 West Indies Championship and ended with figures of 5/41 in a spell bowling 12 overs.
• He was initially brought in as a net bowler by the Guyana Amazon Warriors for the 2023 Caribbean Premier League and made the 2023 squad as an injury replacement for Keemo Paul.
• T20 debut: in a league stage match against Barbados Royals on 17 September 2023
• List A debut: playing for Guyana against Barbados on 29 October 2023 during the 2023 – 2024 Super50 Cup
• IPL debut: against KKR at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata
• Joseph was also one of the key members of the Guyana Amazon Warriors side, which emerged as 2023 champions in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
• In January 2024, Joseph was picked by Peshawar Zalmi during the 2024 Pakistan Super League players draft as a partial replacement for Gus Atkinson.
• In February 2024, he was picked by Lucknow Super Giants for INR 3 crores as a replacement for Mark Wood ahead of the 2024 Indian Premier League.
• He went on to bowl one of the longest overs (10 balls) in IPL history.

International Career:

• Test debut: at the Adelaide Oval on 17 January 2024 in the first test of the two-match series against Australia
• The first two spells he bowled at the Karen Rolton Oval against the Cricket Australia XI side earned him a place in the first test match of the series against Australia as his bowling spells impressed the West Indies selectors.
• He spearheaded the bowling performance for the West Indies, registering their first test win in Australia for 27 years.

Major Achievements:

• Joseph was remarkable in his ability to deliver short-pitched deliveries at speeds exceeding 140 kph consistently.
• He bowled one of the longest overs (10 balls) in the history of IPL.
• He registered the highest individual score by a West Indian number 11 batsman on test debut.
• He also became only the second West Indies bowler to have taken a wicket off the first delivery bowled in test cricket after Tyrell Johnson when he drew Smith to edge it to Justin Greaves.
• On 18 January 2024, he took his first five – wicket haul in test cricket by doing so on his test debut and became the tenth cricketer from the West Indies to take a five – wicket haul on test debut.
• He also became the second bowler in test cricket history after Nathan Lyon to complete the double of having taken a wicket off the first ball in test career and for having taken five wickets on test debut in maiden innings.
• He also became the first West Indies player to achieve the unique distinction of having scored over 50 runs and to have taken a five – wicket haul on his test debut.
• He became the first West Indies player to receive player of the series award in his debut test series and eleventh overall to achieve such a feat.
• He also became the first ever West Indies player to win ICC Men’s Player of the Month award.