Alzarri Joseph Birthday Special: 5/56 vs England & Other Sensational Performances by West Indies’ Speedster

West Indies’ pace-bowling sensation Alzarri Joseph celebrates his 24th birthday on Friday (November 20). Hailing from Antigua, the tall fast-bowler who can generate some serious pace and his ability to move the ball off the deck makes him even more lethal. The right-arm speedster burst onto the scenes in 2016 Under-19 World Cup where he picked 13 wickets in six games – playing a crucial role in guiding West Indies’ to the title. Months after, the youngster was promoted to the national team and didn’t look back after that. Although he has been taken to cleaners on occasions, many experts back Joseph to have a sensational international career. When Mumbai Indians’ Alzarri Joseph Tamed Kane Williamson & Men During SRH VS MI (Watch Video).

Unlike the stereotypical fast bowler, Joseph has a cool mindset, and he has shown his character on many occasions.  Making his international debut in 2016, Joseph burst onto the scenes by scalping an impressive three-wicket haul against India. Although he has been a regular face in for the Caribbean team in white-ball cricket, he hasn’t featured regularly in Test matches with Jason Holder, Kemar Roach and Shanon Gabriel in the ranks. Nevertheless, Joseph has shown tremendous progress in his short but improve career and is all but likely to become regular in all formats. As the Caribbean star turns a year older, let’s look at some of his best performances. Alzarri Joseph Opted to Stay Till the End of WI vs ENG 2nd Test Match Despite Death of His Mother.

3/69 vs India in 2016

As mentioned above, Joseph was brilliant in his Test debut against India at Gros Islet in 2016. He dismissed the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma cheaply in the first innings as the visitors were restricted to 4/87. Although India made a brilliant comeback and won the game by 237 runs, the debutant’s fiery impress caused a stir in the cricketing world.

5/56 vs England in 2017

The fourth ODI in West Indies’ 2017 tour of England saw the young pacer spitting venom with the white ball. A match where all the other Caribbean bowlers failed to take even one wicket, Joseph bowled his heart out and scalped a sensational five-wicket haul. However, the Three Lions eventually managed to register 6-run win via D/L method with all the other West Indies’ bowlers failing terribly.

4/32 vs Ireland in 2020

Another Alzarri Joseph special was seen in the opening ODI of Ireland’s 2020 Tour of West Indies. Ireland’s decision of batting first in Bridgetown proved to be horrific with Joseph tormenting the batsmen. He made the likes of Paul Stirling and Kevin O’Brien look clueless as the visitors were bundled out of 180 runs. West Indies didn’t break a sweat while chasing the target – registering a comfortable five-wicket win.

4/64 vs Sri Lanka in 2020

Sri Lankan batsmen were on full song in the third ODI against West Indies earlier this year. From opener Dimuth Karunaratne to finisher Thisara Perera made runs as the Pallekele looked ideal for batting. However, the damage was restricted by Joseph, who picked wickets regularly. Although he also went for runs, his four-wicket haul helped visitors to bundle Sri Lanka out for 307 runs. West Indies put up an impressive effort with the bat but fall short of Lanka’s total by six runs.

Meanwhile, Joseph will next take the field during West Indies’ upcoming tour of New Zealand, starting from November 27. To manage the workload, the 24-year-old continues to be the part of Test squad. Jason Holder’s men are slated to play two Test matches in the series in Hamilton and Wellington respectively.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 20, 2020 09:00 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).