Shamar Joseph ruled out of ILT20 with toe injury

West Indies’ new sensation Shamar Joseph won’t be featuring in the ongoing ILT20 because of the toe injury he picked up during the historic Gabba Test. The 24-year-old was set to join Dubai Capitals but will instead return home to get himself ready for the PSL, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Tuesday (January 30). 

After his match-winning spell in the second Test, Joseph landed a deal with Peshawar Zalmi and will serve as a partial replacement for England fast bowler Gus Atkinson. The latter is currently in India for the Test series and won’t be available before the playoffs. As a result, the franchise will keep Joseph till the end of the competition. The PSL will start on February 17 and go on till March 18. 

Joseph was phenomenal in his debut Test series in Australia. He finished the series with 13 wickets @ 17.30 and also scored 57 runs @ 28.50. His seven-wicket haul in the fourth innings of the second Test led West Indies to a historic win. He was hit on his toe by a Mitchell Starc yorker on day three but returned on day four to produce a memorable spell. The scans showed no fracture but the seamer had to rely on painkillers.

The T20 leagues around the world will keep an eye on Joseph, but the youngster said he will always be available to play for West Indies. "I will always be here to play Test cricket for the West Indies. I am not afraid to say this live. There will be times when T20 might come around and Test cricket will be there … but I will always be available to play for the West Indies no matter how much money comes towards me."

Meanwhile, former West Indies cricketer Ian Bishop posted on X: “Important for the board, Guyana govt & cooperate bodies to find a way to allocate funds to compensate Shamar Joseph & 1 or 2 other fast bowlers to keep them in the Caribbean & control how much cricket they play. Their pace is everything. Don't allow burnout."