Shamar Joseph

West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph saw his whole life flashing before his eyes as he made his international debut in a Test versus Australia in January 2023.

Coming from a humble background, Joseph has shaped a story of blood, toil, tears, and sweat.

Hailing from Guyana, Joseph particularly lived in Baracara - a small village with less population. He used to run the errands with his siblings and father by chopping logs. However, in a near-death experience, a falling tree missed him by a tad bit, and this moment made him shift to New Amsterdam, where he first worked as a labourer and then as a security guard.

As Joseph could hardly find time for cricket due to long shifts, his partner Trishana tied the knot of his relationship back with the sport.

With a desire to pursue cricket full-time, he was helped by Romario Shepherd, the West Indies all-rounder, who connected him with the Guyana head coach, Esuan Crandon.

Making an instant impact, Joseph snared six wickets in his debut in Division 1 cricket. He made his first-class debut against Barbados in February 2023 in the West Indies Championship. In the same tournament, he bagged his maiden fifer against Windward Islands.

Joseph was initially picked as a net bowler by the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2023. However, an injury to Keemo Paul allowed him an entry to their squad. 

The fast-bowler made his T20 debut versus Barbados Royals in CPL 2023. Although he played only two matches in the season, he managed to leave an impression with his ferocious pace.

Joseph made his List-A debut in the same year while playing for Guyana in the Super50 Cup.

The West Indian continued to rise up the ladder as he was called up for an away Test series against Australia and made his international debut on the first match of the tour.

He accumulated 36 runs with the bat in the first innings, which is now the highest score by a West Indies debutant to have batted at No.11. This wasn’t just it. He shot himself to fame by dismissing Steven Smith on his very first ball in international cricket, becoming the second West Indies and the overall 23rd player in the history of Test cricket to do so.

In another significant exploit, Joseph took a five-wicket haul on his Test debut, ending with an amazing 5-94. This made him only the 10th West Indies cricketer to have this feat to his name. 

In the second Test of the series, he bagged a seven-wicket haul in the second innings, battling a toe injury, and took the West Indies to an iconic win, gaining the Player of the Series award for his heroics in the debut assignment.

Because of the injury, he had to miss ILT20 and PSL 2024. Lucknow Super Giants have signed him as the replacement for Mark Wood, and he is expected to return to action in IPL 2024.

(As of March 2024)