LONDON, CMC – West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph put his delayed arrival behind him and is ready to get down to business against England in the first Test of the Vivian Richards-Ian Botham Trophy series, starting tomorrow at the so-called “home” of the sport, Lord’s.
The 24-year-old Guyanese missed the three-day, warm-up match against a County Select XI that ended this past Friday because his flight out of Georgetown was delayed following the passage of destructive Hurricane Beryl.
He is expected to feature in a lively attack for the Caribbean side after he shot to prominence with a match-winning spell against Australia this past January in Brisbane, where he helped Kraigg Brathwaite’s side achieve a historic win.
“Since our last tour of Australia, we maintain our energy,” Joseph told reporters before a training session at the historic venue for the first Test. “That’s the mindset we come into this series with (that West Indies can compete against England).”
Similar to their trip earlier this year to Australia, West Indies are trying to end a drought in England, where they have not won a Test series since Vivian Richards’ side beat Graham Gooch’s men 4-0 in a five-match series.
Joseph said he was looking forward to the series because of the history associated with playing Tests in England, where fast bowlers have thrived and made a name for themselves.
“I’m excited to be here,” he said. “England is known for good fast bowling.
“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 – and that’s something I would want to do as well.”
The Test will be extra special because it will mark the final time that James Anderson will appear on the international stage for England and will end his career as the pacer with the most wickets in the history of the format. Joseph hailed Anderson for his exploits with the ball and someone he admired while growing up, but he reiterated a sentiment first expressed by now injured veteran pacer Kemar Roach that West Indies plans are to try to ruin the retiring pacer’s farewell by winning.
“He’s such an amazing player,” Joseph said about Anderson. “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.”
