James Anderson is set to play his final Test match later this week and Shamar Joseph is ready to ruin it. The first Test between England and West Indies will be played from July 10-14.
This will be James Anderson’s 188th Test match, the second-highest for any cricketer after Sachin Tendulkar’s 200. The player will be looking to end his career on a high and win the match for his team. Here’s what he told the British media at his pre-match press conference.
Meanwhile, Test cricket’s new sensation Shamar Joseph spoke to reporters about his admiration for James Anderson. However, he said that he is looking forward to spoiling Anderson’s farewell Test match. For Joseph, who made his Test debut for the Windies on the tour of Australia earlier this year, it is his first tour to England.
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James Anderson is someone I have admired: Shamar Joseph
“He’s an amazing player. Someone I’ve looked up to. Someone who is very good at this level. You could say he’s perfect because he’s got a lot of wickets at this level. I would definitely like to spoil that farewell for him,” Joseph told reporters on Monday.
“I am excited to be here. England is known for its good fast bowlers,” Joseph said. The speedster also spoke about his memories of watching cricket at Lord’s. “Oh, they are great. Watching a lot of Ashes matches with great fast bowlers, Jofra Archer, Mitchell Starc, all the great fast bowlers come here and do well. That is something I would like to do as well,” Joseph added.
The player has played only two Test matches and has taken 13 wickets. Steve Smith was his first Test wicket-taker at Adelaide where he took 5/95. He then took 7/68 in the second Test at Brisbane to help West Indies win a Test match in Australia after 27 years.
“Since our last tour of Australia, we have kept our energy up. That is the mindset we are coming into this series with (that West Indies can compete against England),” Joseph said.
The last time West Indies travelled to England for a Test series, they won the first Test but eventually ended up losing the series. This time, they come into this Test series after a win against Australia. They lost the first Test in Adelaide by 10 wickets but Joseph’s brilliant bowling helped them win the second Test in Brisbane by seven runs.
On the other hand, England come into this series after losing 4-1 to India in India. They currently sit at the bottom of the WTC points table while the Windies are in sixth place.
Meanwhile, Anderson has denied claims that he will return to Test cricket after retiring from international cricket at the end of this week. He has said that he is unlikely to consider himself playing the next Ashes series in 2025-26.
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