Alzarri Joseph, the West Indies fast bowler, has said that he was not interested in being selected for the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan, thus ruling himself out of the squad.
Joseph, who had recently made his comeback into international cricket after a back injury, was initially thought about to be included in the squad but will not be playing in the series.
Sammy confirms Joseph spurned Selection!Sammy confirms Joseph turned down Selection!
Speaking ahead of the Test series, Sammy revealed that Joseph had told the team management of his decision on being selected. The coach accepted that this is a setback for the pacer but said that it is for now Cricket West Indies and the selectors to worry about.
Cricket West Indies said when the squad was announced, Joseph was unavailable for personal reasons. Sammy said no further details, but offered that it is a matter outside the coaching staff to handle when contracted players choose not to be selected on the national team.
Only recently has the 29-year-old fast bowler rebounded from the injury to the lower back which prevented him from touring India and New Zealand. His return came in the Test series against Sri Lanka where he took six wickets in two games and went on to play the next ODI series against New Zealand.
Sammy believes that the West Indies boast quality in their attack and will be able to play Pakistan with confidence despite having lost one of their seasoned fast bowlers.
The former skipper feels that the present-day bowling combination has been consistently demonstrating the ability to dismiss teams twice in Test cricket and has given some good sets of performances against Australia, New Zealand and Sri Lanka in the past few months.
The batting unit is also improving, as Sammy noted, “The team now has a more balanced overall performance”. He hoped that “the ongoing support from both departments will enable the Windies to improve their ICC Test rankings”.
The two-match series against Pakistan is a significant one for the Caribbean side in their bid to bridge the gap with the other teams in the World Test Championship table and improve their standing in international Test cricket.