Tarouba [Trinidad and Tobago], February 1 : West Indies coach Daren Sammy acknowledged that Gabba hero Shamar Joseph has caused a selection headache and the pacer may force his way into the T20 World Cup considerations this year despite not participating in the limited-overs series against Australia.
Last Sunday, Joseph shocked the cricket world by taking 7 for 68 and leading the West Indies to a historic Test victory over Australia at the Gabba. His effort followed a historic five-wicket haul in his first Test match in Adelaide, where he dismissed Steven Smith with the opening delivery of the match.
However, Sammy, the white-ball coach for the West Indies, was certain that Joseph would excel in all formats for his nation and might even be factored into the T20 World Cup rankings.
"He will definitely be an all-format player. I can't wait to get my hands on him in this squad. But look, everything has a process to it. That's the way I and the chairman of selectors operate. What he's done, he's created a really good headache for me with the World Cup coming up, building forward in the ODI team," Sammy said as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
"We got other guys like Jayden Seales, who's injured at the moment. So we're developing a core in all formats that enables us to pick from good positions, guys that are performing and that's what you want as a cricketing nation," he added.
Joseph has been forced to withdraw from his upcoming ILT20 stint with Dubai Capitals due to a toe injury.
"We ride the wave that's happening there, but we won't go crazy. If the guy's injured, let him go home and rest. That's probably the first time he's been away from home for so long. He's got a young family. So we understand. Whatever we do is well-planned and well-thought-out," he added.
"I think going home to his family, enjoying this moment is important. Because victories like that don't come around all the time. It's important that you enjoy these moments. Savour it so that it keeps you motivated to have more moments like that," Sammy said.
Sammy was hoping that Joseph's showing in the three-match series against Australia would motivate his young ODI team.
"When somebody performs like that the team rises, and it was so good to watch. You see the smile on my face every time you go back to that and I just hope my men - whenever challenges come you can just remember that if you push through, there's always gold at the end of the rainbow," Sammy said.
Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor
