Curtly Ambrose praised Shamar Joseph after his match-winning seven-for against Australia, but has urged him to focus on red-ball cricket before branching out into ODI and T20 formats.
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Joseph took 7-68 at Brisbane, playing only his second ever Test match, to give the West Indies their first Test victory in Australia in 27 years. Having been cleared of a suspected broken toe after being hit by a Mitchell Starc yorker the previous day, Joseph came into the attack when Australia were two down and needed another 123 runs to win. From there, he bowled 11.5 overs unchanged, bowling Josh Hazlewood for the final wicket to secure a famous eight-run win.
It capped off a remarkable journey for the 24-year-old, who hadn’t yet played a first class game a year ago worked as a security guard before deciding to pursue cricket seriously. Before his incredible spell in the second Test, he made his debut in the first match of the series in Adelaide and took a wicket with the first ball of his international career, getting Steve Smith edged to third slip.
Speaking the The Daily Star in Dhaka, Ambrose said of the fast bowler: “He is a skiddy customer more in the mould of Malcolm Marshall. So, I hope that he remains focused, humble and continues to learn his craft and tries to learn and improve every single day.
“I would like to see Shamar Joseph play a lot of red-ball cricket. He has just started his career, so he needs to learn and understand what it takes to become a world-class fast bowler, and then you can always branch out to ODIs or T20 cricket. But learn the art first, make sure he’s got a solid foundation and then he can branch out.
“He is the type of person who could go on to become a successful cricketer. He is certainly a huge find for West Indies cricket, and as long he can continue, I think he could be a force to be reckoned with in world cricket.”
Several West Indies players were unavailable for selection for the series in Australia due to franchise commitments, meaning seven uncapped players were selected for the series. This further drove ongoing concerns for the West Indies’ decline as a Test-playing nation, and how Test cricket is prioritised by the global game.
Joseph has yet to make his international white-ball debut, but was bought by Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL last year. He played two matches for the side in 2023 before earning his maiden international call-up on the West Indies A tour to South Africa.
