Shamar Joseph: From ‘escaping death’ to being a security guard to Gabba hero

Shamar Joseph delivered one of the most famous, and popular wins in the history of Test cricket on Sunday (January 28) in Brisbane as his career-best seven-wicket haul (7/68) fashioned West Indies’ stunning eight-run upset of Australia in the day-night game.

Joseph’s cricketing journey is nothing short of a fairytale. From “escaping death” to ending West Indies’ 27-year wait for a Test victory in Australia, fast bowler Joseph’s story is an inspiration for everyone, be it in sport or life.

The Caribbean islands are known for producing quality fast bowlers and Joseph is the latest one from their stables.

Who is Shamar Joseph

The 24-year-old Joseph hails from a remote village named Baracara in Guyana. Until 2018, there was no internet in his village and had only black and white TVs, and people used only landline telephones as there were no mobile phones.

Joseph was into logging (chopping wood) to make a living, and it was just three years ago that he decided to move out of his village to pursue cricket. And, in February 2023 he made his first-class debut and impressed everyone with his pace.

“In Baracara, logging was the only way to make a living. Woodwork, go into the bush, find and chop trees. And one day, a tree fell and narrowly missed hitting me on the way down. I was there with my siblings and my father. It was a very narrow escape. And I said in that moment, as my life flashed before my eyes that I can't do this anymore. I had to move out,” Joseph recalled in an interview with Cricbuzz.

Security guard at a bank

After deciding to leave his family business, Joseph moved to New Amsterdam, 121 km from Baracara, and worked on 12-hour shifts day and night as a security guard at a bank. Before being a security guard, he worked at a construction firm but his fear of heights made him a labourer there, according to him.

Working as a security guard made it difficult for him to concentrate on cricket and he also had the responsibility of taking care of his pregnant partner.

“I occasionally snuck in a tape ball game on a Sunday at best. But I have no regrets from having worked as a security guard. I earned from it to maintain my family. It was great. I worked around good people,” the right-arm paceman told the website.

First Test wicket

Despite the hardships, his passion for playing cricket never died. “I always have a ball in my hand, and I sleep with a ball next to me in bed. Every time I look at this ball I’m holding, I think that it’s for Amari and Amali (his children), and Trishana (his partner). The three people that I care about. Every time I get on to the field, I might be nervous. But when I see the ball and I am reminded of them, I know what I'm doing,” he said.

Before he made his Test debut against Australia in Adelaide on January 17, 2024, Joseph had featured in only five first-class matches and taken 21 wickets. But on the big stage, Joseph made the most memorable entry, taking Steve Smith’s wicket with his first ball in Test cricket. And, he sprinted off to celebrate that moment, and a similar dash to the boundary was witnessed when he bowled Australia’s No. 11 Josh Hazlewood to deliver the win at the Gabba on Sunday.

Bowling despite a toe injury

What made Joseph’s heroics in Brisbane even more amazing was that he had injured his toe while batting on the previous day. A toe-crushing yorker from Mitchell Starc forced him to retire hurt but after taking painkillers he arrived at the ground the next day to deliver a famous win.

“I wasn’t even coming out to the ground this morning to be fair. I must give a shout-out to the doctor. He is an amazing doctor to me. He told me to come to the ground for a reason, even if it’s just to support the guys. But I came and he did something to my toe. I don’t know what he did but something worked. So I just had that time to go out there and bowl and bring this game home for my team,” Joseph, who finished with 13 wickets in his debut Test series, said after the win.

“It was just about being positive. That’s all. My teammates said just go out there and do it – take wickets. It was just our positivity. I am not that tired because I wanted to do this for my team. I told my skipper I would bowl to the end until the last wicket falls. It doesn’t matter how my toes are, I’m okay. I did it for him and I am happy that he is proud of me now,” Joseph added.