West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd hailed young pacer Shamar Joseph and joked about the consequences that he would face if the 24-year-old picked his wicket in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
Joseph announced himself to the world during the West Indies two-match Test series against Australia. Shamar was at the forefront when the West Indies breached the 'Gabba fortress' of Australia again after three years, beating them in the second Test of the two-match series held in January by eight runs to level the series. While Shepherd features for the five-time champion Mumbai Indians, Shamar will be a part of the Lucknow Super Giants squad in the IPL 2024. Shepherd praised Shamar for the sheer pace that he possesses and if he were to lose his wicket to him, he joked about how Shamar would go on to tell him about the dismissal all day. "We have played practice games in Guyana and he has bowled to me in the nets and got me out, but this will be the first time in an official game. Shamar is bowling fast; he has gotten faster. He can bowl 150kph and I have to be more careful with him. If he gets me out [in the IPL], he's going to tell me about it all day (laughs), so I'm going to make sure that he doesn't get me out. And hopefully, I can hit him for a few [runs]," Shepherd said, as quoted from ESPNcricninfo. Shamar was announced as the replacement for English pacer Mark Wood for IPL 2024. In his Test debut, right-armer Joseph made an immediate impact, taking Australia batter Steve Smith's wicket with his first delivery. While, Shepherd found a home with the Mumbai Indians after the five-time champions acquired him through a trade deal with the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in November 2023. He could be in action as MI kick off their campaign against the Gujarat Titans on Sunday at the Narendra Modi Stadium. The Lucknow Super Giants will face the Rajasthan Royals on Sunday at the Sawai Mansingh Indoor Stadium. (ANI)
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