West Indies’ newest pace sensation Shamar Joseph’s foot injury suffered during his historic Gabba display has cost him a deal with the Dubai Capitals in the UAE Twenty20 league.
The Sydney Morning Herald reported Joseph has been forced to fly home to the Caribbean after his foot injury has been deemed too serious to play on.
Joseph had made just five first-class appearances before his Test debut in Adelaide, before taking back-to-back five-wicket hauls, including match winning figures of 7-68 in Brisbane.
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Joseph was initially set to travel from Australia to the UAE and join former Test opener David Warner at the Capitals, who are owned by the same conglomerate that owns the Delhi Capitals IPL franchise.
However, a West Indies spokesman confirmed to The Herald that Joseph would instead fly home to the Caribbean to rest his toe that was struck by a Mitchell Starc thunderbolt late on day three at The Gabba.
The UAE league runs until February 18, but Joseph has also signed another Twenty20 deal with Peshawar, in the Pakistan Super League with Peshawar, a tournament starting on the same date.
Joseph declared he would always be available to play Test cricket for the West Indies no matter how much money came his way, after his heroics in the Brisbane Test.
“I’m not afraid to say this,” Joseph said.
“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.”
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