Not many players have made a more impressive start to their international career than Shamar 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 Australias as the 24-year-old revived memories of West Indies quicks of yesteryear when he claimed the prized wicket of the world’s No.2 ranked batter Steve Smith with his very first delivery.
Joseph picked up another four Australian scalps on his way to sensational figures of 5-94 in his first Test appearance in Adelaide and backed up this effort with decent scores of 36 and 15 coming into bat for his side at No.11.
“I am extremely delighted to win this award, to get such an award on the world stage feels special. I totally enjoyed every moment of that experience playing for West Indies in Australia especially the magic of the final day at the Gabba.”
“Taking the wicket to win the match was a dream! It was truly memorable moment for me and I just want to continue to work hard and deliver more match-winning performances for the West Indies with the ball; and when required also with the bat. I want to say special thanks to the team-mates and support staff in Australia who backed me from the start to get the job done. I will be the one receiving the award, but this is also for the Team, and all the fans of the West Indies as well.”
Somehow, Joseph produced an even better performance during the West Indies’ upset victory over Australia in the second Test in Brisbane. He produced a spell for the ages to collect figures of 7-68 that helped the Caribbean side to their first Test triumph in Australia since 1997.
Through two Tests, Joseph has collated 57 runs at a decent batting clip of 28.50, having also taken 13 wickets at an imposing average of 17.30. (ICC)