Cricket West Indies (CWI) has punished fast bowler Alzarri Joseph for “falling short of CWI’s standards of professionalism” and suspended him for two international matches.
CWI’s decision comes after Joseph’s on-field behaviour during the third ODI against England in Barbados was found in violation of their standards of professionalism.
The West Indies cricket governing body conducted a review of Joseph’s act in consultation with the senior men’s coaching staff and found him guilty.
Miles Bascombe, the CWI Director of Cricket, said that the kind of conduct displayed by Alzarri on the field of play “cannot be overlooked” and therefore the board decided to punish him accordingly.
“Alzarri’s behavior did not align with the core values that Cricket West Indies upholds. Such conduct cannot be overlooked, and we have taken decisive action to ensure the gravity of the situation is fully acknowledged,” Bascombe said in a statement issued by the CWI.
Joseph also seems to have moved on from the incident and has issued an apology to his ODI skipper Shai Hope and the West Indian fans.
“I recognize that my passion got the best of me,” said Joseph in his statement. “I have personally apologized to Captain Shai Hope, my teammates and management. 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.”
For the unversed, Joseph was miffed with his captain Hope during the third ODI about the placement of fielders and left the field of play in anger forcing the hosts to continue the game with just 10 players for an over. Joseph’s act rubbed head coach Daren Sammy in the wrong way and he expressed his disappointment over the incident.
“Behaviour like that is unacceptable on my cricket field,” said Sammy speaking to TalkSPORT. “We will be friends…but in the culture I’m trying to build, that’s unacceptable. We will definitely have a chat about that.”
