Shamar Joseph rose to the pinnacle of Test cricket from a life of oblivion and obscurity, but one where he chose to fight it out instead of giving it up.
” It was all about believing and making a lot of sacrifices to get here. Remembering what got you here, continuing the same and staying there. I just stick to my basics and take advice from the seniors”.
Those were the words of the 24-year-old pacer from Baracara in Guyana, who scripted Caribbean history in Australia, with a memorable triumph over the formidable hosts in the pink-ball Test at Brisbane’s Gabba, bowling an incredible spell of seven wickets in the fourth innings.
Knowing more about him and what he endured to don the national colours, one could easily decipher that the Joseph’s words “sacrifices” and “what got you here” are actually an understatement.
A post on ‘X’ from South African batting great AB de Villiers drew the cricket-loving internet surfers to find more about Joseph.
“Do yourself a favour, go read about his life on wikipedia! Literally had tears in my eyes while reading about his journey. Inspirational to say the least,” De Villiers wrote.
And ABD’s words about Joseph’s journey hold true in every sense.
“Joseph is from Baracara, a small community in East Berbice-Corentyne, Guyana,” says his profile page that De Villiers was talking about.
The 1999-born pacer had no access to the internet until 2018 when the small popoulation of Baracara, reported to be under 400, had access to the cyber world. Land-line telephones were the only mode of communication until then.
He grew up playing with fruits as balls and, as reported by the Indian Express, also balls made out of melted plastic bottles at times to practice.
He moved to the port city of New Amsterdam in search of jobs and worked as labourer in construction and then as a security guard, working 12-hour shifts.
To find time to sleep and train amid that work schedule was eventually an impossible balance to have.
Eventually, he took the big decision with the support of his fiance, Trish, and gave up his job to pursue his dream of a career in cricket.
His CV as a cricketer enhanced at a rapid pace and included praise from bowling legend Curtly Ambrose at a fast-bowling clinic.
But for someone who made his first class debut only last year, it’s nothing short of fairytale considering what Joseph managed to pull off on Sunday.
And he did justice to his CV by first scoring an entertaining 36 at No. 11 on his Test debut in the Adelaide Test and followed it up with a five-wicket haul. But West Indies received a 10-wicket hammering in under three days.
But before his moment of glory arrived in the second Test, a day-night affair at Australian fortress Gabba, a yorker from Mitchell Starc crashed into Joseph’s toe, forcing him to retire hurt.
Australia needed 216 to win and were cruising at 113/2 when Joseph knocked out Cameron Green and Travis Head off succcessive balls to begin a memorable spell that ended with figures of 7/68 and an incredible eight-run.
It’s the first time in 35 years that any team other than India had breached the Gaba fortress in a Test match.
And the spell also turned out to be tribute from Joseph to one of his idols, Ambrose, as it marked the first occasion since Ambrose in 1993 that a West Indies fast bowler had claimed four wickets or more in the fourth innings of a Test match in Australia.