The bizarre incident during the West Indies vs England ODI has seen fast bowler Alzarri Joseph suspended for two international games.
Joseph, who played for RCB in the IPL in 2024, was involved in an altercation with his own skipper Shai Hope on-field during the third ODI against England.
Watch the incident here
The issue arose over the fielding setup during Joseph’s over with the pacer not in agreement with the field set for him by the captain. A furious Joseph then started bowling deliveries at nearly 150kph in full anger.
He dismissed England batter Jordan Cox with a brute of a delivery, but was still seething in anger. He walked off mid-spell to the dugout, still angry with coach Daren Sammy trying to cool him down.
Post the match, Sammy called his behaviour unacceptable.
“Behaviour like that is unacceptable on my cricket field,” Sammy said. “We will be friends…but in the culture I’m trying to build, that’s unacceptable. We will definitely have a chat about that.”
Following this, Joseph issued a public apology stating that his passion got the better of him. He extended his apology to Hope and his teammates.
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“I also extend my sincerest apologies to the West Indies fans – I understand that even a brief lapse in judgment can have a far-reaching impact, and I deeply regret any disappointment caused,” Joseph said in the statement.
Cricket West Indies suspended the pacer for two matches for his behaviour. “Alzarri’s behavior did not align with the core values that Cricket West Indies upholds,” CWI Director Miles Bascombe, said.
“Such conduct cannot be overlooked, and we have taken decisive action to ensure the gravity of the situation is fully acknowledged.”
West Indies beat England 2-1 in the ODI series. A five-match T20I series begins on Sunday (in IST timing).
While Joseph’s previous stint in the Indian Premier League went awry at RCB, a decent couple of years at Gujarat Titans prior to that raises hopes of a bid this time around.
Joseph got sold for a whopping INR 11.5 crores to RCB in 2024. But he had a poor season, where he conceded runs at a rate of nearly 12 runs per over, taking one wicket in three matches.
