Shamar Joseph has claimed that he would definitely want to ruin James Anderson’s farewell party at the Lord’s when England and West Indies face off in the first Test, starting from July 10. West Indies’ pace sensation Shamar Joseph has said he would like to ‘ruin’ James Anderson’s farewell party when they face England at Lord’s during the first Test of the series.
The match which will take place from July 10 to 14, will be the last time Anderson will step on to the field to play the game. Anderson will finish as the pacer with the most wickets in the history of Test cricket.
Shamar Joseph rise to fame after Australia series
Shamar Joseph came into the limelight with his exploits during the Australia tour where he helped West Indies achieve a historic win in Gabba. The pacer wants his side to maintain the same energy in England as well come in with a mindset that they can compete with the hosts.
Few years down a person in a family of five brothers and three sisters, growing up idolizing Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh , opening bowlers of the then West Indies team in the 90s and early 2000s, imitating them in his tape ball games across his village, starting to bowl with fruits like lemons, lime ,guavas and peaches along with tape ball which was dubbed as ‘Jungle cricket’ in Baracara, 24 year Shamar Joseph has launched himself into the history books on 28th January 2024 as his spell of 7-68 decimated Australia in Gabba by 8 runs.
These heroics from 24 year old pacer formerly a security guard who debuted in this test series in the first match picking up fifer in the same , getting toe crushed by an Yorker only to return to bowl an inspired spell in an day night test ,Shamar Joseph as etched himself a place in history of West Indies cricket as his spell inspired West Indies to beat Australia for the first time in Pink ball test.
This heroics of Shamar Joseph came on the backdrop of the fact that on the previous night during the West Indies , Mitchell Starc ‘s toe crushing yorker hit the toe of the player while batting and he was rushed to the hospital. Shamar Joseph stayed in the hospital the whole night with his team and the captain Kraigg Braithwaite only to know one hour before the days play to resume that luckily no fracture was observed and Shamar Joseph was cleared to play.
Limping on one leg while going back to strides , this hero at the Gabba, Shamar Joseph not only bowled one of the inspired and greatest spells of Test cricket scalping 7 Australian wickets in just 11.5 overs with immaculate pace and sheer determination through his line and length to give West Indies an memorable victory over Australia in Australia after 27 years since 1997.
James Anderson illustrious Test career
The seasoned pacer James Anderson has dominated red-ball cricket with his mastery of the swing as well as the reverse swing. He made his debut in the Test format against Zimbabwe at The Lord’s, and he will bid farewell to fans as a player at the same venue.
His 6/17 against Pakistan in the first Test in 2010 at Trent Bridge still echoes the prowess of his remarkable career. He left Pakistan batters Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Azhar Ali, and many more players speechless. In 187 Tests, Anderson has taken 700 wickets at an average of 26.52, with the best bowling figures of 7/42. He has also taken 269 wickets in 194 ODIs for England and 18 wickets in 19 T20Is.
Speaking to the reporters, Shamar Joseph hailed Anderson as an amazing player and someone he has looked up to while growing up. The West Indies pacer said that the England legend is ‘perfect’ given the amount of wickets he has picked up in his career.
Shamar Joseph wants to ruin farewell on James Anderson’s retirement 1st test at Lord’s
West Indian pacer Shamar Joseph praised England star James Anderson before expressing his wish to ruin his farewell Test in the series opener at Lord’s, starting July 10. Anderson will play his final international game in the first Test of the England-West Indies three-match series.
The 41-year-old is third all-time in Test wickets behind only spin twins Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan with 700 in an incredible 187 matches. Meanwhile, Joseph has been a revelation in his brief two-match Test career, starring in West Indies’ famous drawn series in Australia earlier this year.
Speaking to the reporters in the build-up to the opening Test, Joseph had high praise for Anderson despite wanting to spoil his farewell party.
“He is such an amazing player. Someone I have looked up to. Someone who is very good at this level. You could say he’s perfect because he has a lot of wickets at this level. Definitely, I would want to ruin that farewell for him,” said Joseph.
Shamar Joseph picked up 13 wickets in his debut series down under, including seven in the second innings of the final Test at Brisbane, at an average of 17.30. His heroics helped the West Indies win a Test in Australia for the first time since 1997.
“England is known for a good fast bowling” – Shamar Joseph
Shamar Joseph hoped to produce a stellar effort on England pitches, highlighting how pacers traditionally perform well here.
West Indies play England in three Tests at Lord’s, Trent Bridge, and Edgbaston from July 10 to 30.
“I’m excited to be here. England is known for a good fast bowling. Oh they’re great. Watching a lot of the Ashes with great fast bowlers, Jofra Archer, Mitchell Starc, all the great fast bowlers come out here and do well. that’s something I would want to do as well. Since our last tour of Australia, we maintain our energy. That’s the mindset we come into this series with (that West Indies can compete against England),” said Joseph.
West Indies triumphed in the most recent meeting between the teams in Tests by a 1-0 margin at home. However, in their last meeting in England, the hosts upstaged the Caribbean side by a 2-1 scoreline in 2020. The overall head-to-head sees the West Indies ahead by a slender 59-51 margin with 53 draws in 163 Tests.