West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph
was featured as the International
Cricket Council (ICC) revealed
the shortlists of nominees for the ICC Men’s
and Women’s Player of the Month awards
for January 2024.
The orchestrator for what was perhaps
one of the most dramatic Test victories in
recent memory, Joseph’s month will be
long remembered for his bowling efforts
in the second innings of the second Test v
Australia in Brisbane.
Defending a modest target of 216 for
victory, Joseph unleashed a remarkable
spell of fast bowling, taking seven for 68 to
cue wild celebrations.Hailing from a small village
deep in the Guyanese jungle, Shamar Joseph
arrived for the tour of Australia in 2023-24 with no
international experience but a bit of a reputation
for bowling fast.
Only 18 months earlier he had made the decision
to leave his job as a security night watchman to
pursue cricket seriously, a call that was almost
immediately vindicated with a first-class debut and
a CPL contract.
After impressing in the tour match against the
Cricket Australia XI in January 2024, he was named
for his Test debut at the Adelaide Oval a week later,
where he would take the wicket of Steve Smith with
his first ball.