Shamar Joseph is flying directly home to the Caribbean after his unforgettable display at the Gabba as his foot injury has been deemed too serious to allow him to take up a deal with the Dubai Capitals in the UAE Twenty20 league.
Joseph, who had played just five first-class games before his Test debut in Adelaide, was initially set to travel from Australia to the UAE where he would link up with David Warner at the Capitals, who are owned by the same conglomerate that owns the Delhi Capitals IPL franchise.
However, a West Indies spokesperson confirmed to this masthead that Joseph would instead fly home to a hero’s welcome in the Caribbean as he rests his right foot.
The UAE league runs until February 18, but Joseph has also signed another Twenty20 deal, in the Pakistan Super League with Peshawar, for a tournament that starts on that date.
Joseph’s 7-68 in Brisbane was performed on a severely bruised right toe after he was struck by a Mitchell Starc yorker on the third evening and initially appeared unavailable to bowl.
With the help of painkillers he recovered to put on one of the most memorable Test match bowling spells of all time to lead West Indies to a first Test win in Australia for 27 years, and afterwards declared he would “always” be available to play red-ball games for his region.
Shamar Joseph is going home to recover.Credit: Getty
“I’m not afraid to say this,” Joseph said on Sunday night. “There will be times when T20 cricket might come around. Test cricket will be there. And I will say this live. I will always be available to play for the West Indies, no matter how much money it takes or come towards me. So I will always be here to play Test cricket.”
Kraigg Brathwaite, the West Indian captain, said that a balance between Twenty20 and Test cricket was vital for the further progression of his team.
“It is a balance. Look at Alzarri Joseph, he’s in the IPL and he has a lot of heart for Test cricket,” Brathwaite said. “He wants to be here. Today he was tired and he still came in those last two overs at the tail. Once you have the love for this game and this hard Test cricket, the right balance is key.
“I do believe we should be playing more Test cricket more consistently. Our next Test series is July 10, which is a long while away, so I believe we have talent and it shows the world that we are going to be competitive and win Test matches, but we need more cricket, and that’s my cry.
“When we go back home, we have to keep the same mentality towards preparation. When you play Test cricket you’re playing against the best in the world, so the key for us is never to slack off, and have heart. This team has a lot of heart, and my thing for the guys is we did well, but this is just one Test win. We have a number of Test matches remaining this year, so it now begins. The same sort of attitude, the same planning we had, it has to continue. It can’t slacken off.”
