West Indies fast bowling star Shamar Joseph is rewarded with contract upgrade

SYDNEY (AP) — After his heroics in the West Indies' second-test win over Australia, fast bowler Shamar Joseph is getting an upgrade to his playing contract.

The 24-year-old Joseph is now tied to a retainer deal with Cricket West Indies, similar to central contracts offered by Cricket Australia and other national cricketing groups which are offered to players expected to feature routinely in international matches.

Joseph previously held a franchise contract and had not played international cricket before the two-match test series against Australia, during which he took a game-defining 7-68 at the Gabba in Brisbane.

Joseph's efforts in the second test sealed an eight-run upset defeat over Australia, which had not lost to West Indies at home since 1997.

Joseph joins test teammates including Kraigg Brathwaite, Joshua Da Silva and Kemar Roach as one of 15 male West Indies players tied to international retainer contracts.

“As exhilarated as we are, it is also dutiful to elevate Shamar Joseph to a CWI International retainer contract,” Enoch Lewis, who chairs Cricket West Indies’ development and performance committee, said in a statement Thursday. “His extraordinary talent and steadfast dedication serve as the cornerstone of our team’s recent triumph at the Gabba, and such promise merits its due recognition."

The upgrade came after Joseph’s Brisbane performance earned him a Pakistan Super League deal with Peshawar Zalmi, coached by former West Indies great Daren Sammy. Rather than play in this month’s white-ball series against Australia, Joseph had been set to travel to the United Arab Emirates and line up for Dubai Capitals in the ILT20.

Instead, he has flown home to the Caribbean in an attempt to heal the toe injury he suffered during the Brisbane test.

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