Alzarri Joseph

The West Indies will be the first international cricket team to give fans the opportunity to own authentic signed team shirts via global digital auctions held on MatchWornShirt.com’s website.

Starting from March 8, fans can bid to own any of the West Indies Test squad’s team shirts from the current South Africa Series, with each shirt individually signed by the respective player.

“Team and players’ shirts have always been a much-desired piece of memorabilia and for West Indies fans, there is no exception. With West Indies supporters spread across the Caribbean and the world, we believe this partnership with MatchWornShirt provides an exciting and fair platform to bid for and own an official match-worn West Indies shirt signed by one of their heroes, or even the entire West Indies squad,” said CWI Commercial Director Dominic Warne.

“The partnership delivers an engaging, reliable and user-friendly auction experience, accessible from anywhere in the world, with safe and secure delivery to fans’ homes.”

CWI and MatchWornShirt will create auctions to go live with the first ball bowled in a match or shortly after the match has been completed. In 2023, this will include Test, One Day International (ODI) and T20 International (T20I) matches against India as well as T20I and ODI matches against England.

West Indies fans will not just be able to witness a match-winning moment or performance, they will have the chance to swap shirts with their heroes and own a piece of sporting history.

Fans’ desire to own team and player memorabilia continues to rise strongly, in parallel with the growth of live international sports, especially cricket.

The first auction will go live to coincide with the start of second Test Match, South Africa versus West Indies on March 8, 2023 at the Wanderers Stadium in Johannesburg. The first auction will run for two weeks until 22 March 2023.

To celebrate this new partnership, fans will have the chance to win fast bowler Alzarri Joseph’s genuine match-worn and signed shirt from the first Test match when he took his first-ever Test match five-wicket haul for the West Indies. This opportunity will be live on MatchWornShirt’s Instagram page from Monday, March 6.

Head of Business Development at MatchWornShirt, James Flude, is excited about the collaboration.

 “We have been excited to venture into cricket for a while now and so we are delighted to announce our first substantial partnership with such an iconic international team,” Flude said.

“The West Indies shirts are globally recognized and have been worn by some of the greatest players ever to play the game - so we are delighted to be bringing them to fans all around the world.”

Three West Indies players were announced by the ICC on Tuesday in the annual awards.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite was picked in the Test Team of the Year, while wicket-keeper/batsman Shai Hope and fast bowler Alzarri Joseph earned spots in the One-Day International (ODI) Team of the Year.

Brathwaite averaged 62 in seven Tests during the last calendar year, scoring two hundreds – a monumental 160 against England at Kensington Oval in March and an outstanding 110 against Australia at the Perth Stadium in December, on the eve of his birthday.

Hope maintained his consistency in the ODIs, averaging 35 with three centuries from 21 ODIs. He was among only seven players to pass 700 runs for the year.

The highlight was his knock of 115 in his 100th appearance against India at Queens Park Oval in July.

Joseph was also among the leading wicket-takers in ODIs for the year, with 27 wickets at an average of 25 runs per wicket from 17 matches and featured in all three formats.

“Captain Kraigg Brathwaite continued to lead from the front with a number of world-class batting displays, which characterize his composed and courageous style of play,” said CWI President Ricky Skerritt in praising the West Indies Test captain.

“The major achievement was leading the team to victory over England to capture the Richards Botham trophy which brought glory to West Indies fans.

“Shai Hope also demonstrated his immense talent in front the stumps and agility behind the wickets. He too showcased an exceptionally high level of skill, and a great sense of occasion, with a remarkable century to mark his 100th appearance against India in Trinidad.”

In his praise of Joseph, Skerritt said, “Alzarri I Joseph emerged as the leader of the bowling attack in ODIs and was consistent and persistent all year in all three formats.

“He has matured from an exciting young speedster to a truly world-class pace bowler and is reaping the rewards for the hard work he has been putting in off the field. We applaud all three for their outstanding performances in 2022 and also wish them continued success and growth in 2023 and beyond.”

The Trinidadian wicketkeeper/batsman retired not out as the West Indies amassed 517 from 132.5 overs. The visiting bowlers then struck early and often to reduce the Zimbabwe XI to 52-5 at stumps.

Da Silva’s ton that came from 149 balls and included 13 fours followed that of Captain Kraigg Brathwaite retired on 116 on Saturday.

Resuming on his overnight score on nine and Devon Thomas on 42 with the score on 313-5, the pair added 23 to their partnership of 18 before Thomas was dismissed for 49.

Da Silva and Roston Chase then mounted a seventh-wicket stand of 158 before he retired leaving Chase unbeaten on 87 at the end after Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph were dismissed for four and 11, respectively.

Milton Shumba was the best of the Zimbabwe XI bowlers with 3-80. Donald Tiripano took 2-34.

Chasing the mammoth total, Zimbabwe XI were in early trouble when Joseph had opener Kudzai Maunze caught behind for a duck in the second over of the innings.

He later dismissed Joylord Gumbie in similar fashion for 11 in the sixth over to have Zimbabwe XI struggling on 12-2. Kyle Mayers got among the wickets when he dismissed Tanunurwa Makoni for 13 as the side slipped to 30-3.

Jason Holder made it 31-4 when he trapped Wessly Madhevere lbw for nought and Shannon Gabriel dismissed Tony Munyonga for one to make it 36-5.

Timycen Maruma (15*) and Shumba who is nine not out managed to inch towards the close of play without further loss.

Joseph has so far taken 2-14 for the West Indies while Holder has 1-2 from four overs.

The day began with the West Indies winning the toss, offering them a golden opportunity. However, Starc had different plans, dismantling the top order in the opening session. He took three wickets, while Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins each contributed with one. The West Indies' top six struggled to adapt to the extra bounce, with five of them nicking deliveries that could have been left alone.

Just when it seemed like the West Indies might squander their chance, Kavem Hodge and Joshua Da Silva orchestrated a remarkable fightback during the middle session. They batted through the twilight period, frustrating the Australian bowlers on what was considered a good batting pitch at the Gabba. The duo forged a resilient partnership of 149 for the sixth wicket, showcasing excellent defense and decision-making.

As the pink ball softened and the pitch flattened out, Da Silva and Hodge capitalized on any overpitched deliveries, driving with control through cover and down the ground. Despite Australia cycling through seven bowlers in the session, including Marnus Labuschagne, the West Indies' batsmen stood firm, forming the highest and longest stand of the series to date.

Da Silva's valiant effort eventually came to an end when he fell for 79 to a delivery from Nathan Lyon. Attempting to flick the ball, he missed and was adjudged plumb in front. Hodge, on the other hand, continued his impressive innings, reaching 71 before edging to slip off Mitchell Starc.

The lower order then contributed, with Kevin Sinclair and Alzarri Joseph adding a valuable 41 runs. Joseph played the aggressor, striking seven fours in his quick 22-ball knock. However, Josh Hazlewood induced a thick edge off the last ball of the day, dismissing Joseph for 32. Kevin Sinclair was not out on 16 at the close.

Earlier in the day, the top order struggled to display the same discipline. Kraigg Brathwaite was the first to fall, enticed into a half-hearted drive by Hazlewood. Tagenarine Chanderpaul and Kirk McKenzie steadied the ship briefly, but McKenzie's aggression led to his downfall as he nicked to slip while trying to cut Cummins off the front foot.

Starc returned before the first break to claim three wickets in quick succession. Chanderpaul, Alick Athanaze, and Justin Greaves all fell victim to Starc's skillful bowling. Athanaze's dismissal marked a milestone for Starc, as he secured his 350th Test wicket, becoming the fifth Australian to achieve this feat and leaving him just four wickets behind Dennis Lillee on Australia's all-time list. The West Indies will look to regroup and build on their total on the second day of this captivating Test match.

RCB first posted 173-6 from their 20 overs after winning the toss.

Wicket-keeper/batsman Anuj Rawat top scored with a 25-ball 48 while Dinesh Karthik and captain Faf Du Plessis provided good support with 38 and 35, respectively.

Mustafizur Rahman was excellent with the ball for the Super Kings with 4-29 from his four overs.

CSK then used contributions from all their batsmen to easily reach 176-4 with eight balls to spare.

Debutant Rachin Ravindra led the way with 37 while Shivam Dube (34*), Ajinkya Rahane (27) and Ravindra Jadeja (25*) also played well.

Cameron Green took 2-27 from his three overs for RCB.

Full Scores: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 173-6 off 20 overs (Anuj Rawat 48, Dinesh Karthik 38*, Mustafizur Rahman 4-29)

Chennai Super Kings 176-4 off 18.4 overs (Rachin Ravindra 37, Shivam Dube 34*, Ajinkya Rahane 27, Ravindra Jadeja 25*, Cameron Green 2-27)

West Indies have only themselves to blame, dropping two catches in the final over bowled by Sheldon Cottrell and that proved costly in the end.

Chasing 146 for victory, Australia owed their victory to Aaron Finch (58) and Matthew Wade (39*) whose sixth-wicket partnership turned the match in favour of the hosts who had lost half their wickets early.

The pair came together with Australia struggling after Sheldon Cottell’s two wickets and one each from Yannic Cariah, Jason Holder and Alzarri Joseph had reduced the hosts were 58-5 after eight overs.

They eventually repelled the West Indies attack with a 69-run partnership that for a while took the match away from the tourists. The match swung significantly in Australia’s favour when Sheldon Cottrell, who had earlier removed David Warner and Mitchell Marsh in his first over, leaked 18 runs in his third over, the 12^th of the Australian innings.

Bowling his final over, Joseph broke the stand when he dismissed Finch for 58 with the score at 127 with Australia needing just 19 from 17 balls.

The Antiguan conceded only four runs from that over to finish with the impressive figures of 2-17.

Odean Smith bowled Cummins for four to leave Australia needing 11 from the final over.

Cottrell gave up a four to Wade off the first ball setting the stage for Australia to achieve the target but with a lot of help from the West Indies.

Wade escaped the second ball when Reifer dropped him in the deep and square of the wicket which resulted in Australia getting two runs.

The hosts needed four runs from three balls when Mayers dropped Starc from Cottrell’s fourth and Australia took two more runs.

Starc got two from the Cottrell’s fifth to get Australia over the line with a ball to spare.

Cottrell finished with 2-49 while Smith bowled well to end with 1-19.

Earlier, Kyle Mayers scored 39 at the top of the order and Odean Smith 27 at the end as the West Indies posted 145-9 from their 20 overs. Brandon King (13) and Raymon Reifer (19) each got starts but the West Indies lost wickets regularly and were unable to get any momentum during their innings.

Josh Hazelwood was the best of the Australian bowlers with 3-35. Pat Cummins 2-22 and Mitchell Starc 2-40 were solid in support.

The hosts ended the day on 248-3, aided by two century partnerships from Ollie Pope and Ben Duckett, and Joe Root and Harry Brook. Both Brook, on 71, and Root, on 37, will resume batting on Sunday.

Despite Chris Woakes claiming the wickets of Alzarri Joseph (10) and Jayden Seales (duck) in successive balls, a final-wicket stand of 71 from Shamar Joseph (33) and Joshua da Silva, who was left unbeaten on 82, saw West Indies, who resumed at 351-5, reach 457.

Scores: England 416 & 248-3 (Duckett 76, Brook 71*, Pope 51, A Joseph 2-58) lead West Indies 457 (Hodge 120, Da Silva 82*, Woakes 4-84) by 207 runs

England's second innings, which they began 41 runs adrift, got off to a nervy start as opener Zak Crawley (three) was run out by Jayden Seales at the non-striker's end.

However, much like they did in the first innings, Duckett (76) and Pope (51) settled the hosts down with a 119-run second-wicket stand, before Alzarri Joseph claimed both in the space of eight deliveries.

Still, Brook and Root also produced an important, unbroken 108-run partnership that placed Ben Stokes' side in command heading into day four.

Data Debrief: Successive century partnerships for Duckett and Pope

With a strong finish to their opening innings, the Windies reached 457 - their highest total on English soil since 1995.

England's response was led by Duckett and Pope's impressive stand of 119, their second three-figure partnership of the series.

They became only the ninth pair to make two century stands for England in a men's Test, and first since Joe Root and Alistair Cook achieved the feat against Pakistan eight years ago.

Joseph had a torrid time of the one Test he played in England during the 2017 Wisden Trophy, toiling for 22 overs without a wicket at a cost of 109 runs.

“I think I have made some improvements as a bowler. That was a big learning experience for me, my first time in England. So I have some experience here now so I know now how to bowl in these conditions in my second time around,” said Joseph.

According to Joseph, the key to bowling in England is making small adjustments to the increased movement in the ball.

“The ball does a bit more here in England than in the Caribbean. There are just some slight adjustments. Nothing too big,” the paceman said.

Joseph and the West Indies will be going into the second of their warm-up games ahead of the July 8 start to the battle for the Wisden Trophy.

In his first outing, a three-day encounter earlier this week, Joseph picked up 4-60 as a team captained by Jason Holder drew with another skippered by Kraigg Brathwaite.

Still, Joseph isn’t using the practice games to impress the coach into putting him in the final 11 for the July 8 series start, but rather, is ensuring he is ready if that happens to be the case.

“I see this as an opportunity to get some more overs under my belt, some more time out in the middle to get used to the conditions. I’m just looking to stay consistent. I think I bowled pretty well, so I am just looking to repeat what I did last game,” he said.

Joseph has had some trouble with injuries in recent times but feels he is fitter and stronger and more able to deal with the rigours of Test cricket.

“I put it down to a lot of hours on the training ground trying to improve my strength and my conditioning. Working on bowling consistently for longer periods,” he said of his recovery.

As far as fitting into a four-pronged pace attack which is expected to give England some trouble, Joseph is banking on the element of surprise.

Obviously those three [Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, JasonHolder] guys have a lot more experience than I do, so more often than not, teams may see me as the weak link,” said Joseph.

“I can use that as an advantage for me because I know my abilities. They might not know but once I get in on the day and get the job done I know I can get on top of any opponent.”

The Caribbean side’s preparations for the series, which is part of the ICC World Test Championship (WTC), will hit another gear when they engage a young Cricket Australia XI in a three-day, practice match at Karen Rolton Oval, on Wednesday.

Coley, working with a fairly inexperienced 15-man squad which boast seven uncapped players, expressed pleasure with how things are coming together, and is optimistic that his team can find success on this occasion. It has been well over 20 years since West Indies las won a Test series in Australia dating back to a 1992-93 series, which they won 2-1.

Captain Kraigg Brathwaite is one of only five members of the squad returning to Australia, along with long-standing pacer Kemar Roach, vice-captain Alzarri Joseph, wicketkeeper-batsman Joshua Da Silva and opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul. The seven debutants are opener Zachary McCaskie, Tevin Imlach, all-rounders Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Kevin Sinclair, Akeem Jordan and Shamar Joseph.

“Everybody wants to do well here, whether they have had experience of playing here in the past, or it is their first trip. It has been a good experience watching them get over the jetlag and then get into the work, whatever it has been on a specific day, and the focus has been good,” Coley shared in a Cricket West Indies (CWI) interview ahead of the warm-up game.

The practice match does not have first-class status, which means both teams can rotate more than 11 players through their line-ups, and this provides Coley the opportunity to better observe the new players in action.

“When you think about Test matches, it’s really important that you are able to bat a day to be able to set up the game from a batting standpoint. On the flipside of that it’s pretty simple for me, if you can get the opposition out before the end of a day’s play, so for me, those are easy markers,” he said.

“How we go about it as a batting and bowling group is where it becomes more specific as it relates to the roles and the different skill sets that each player brings to the table. But we are looking to keep it really, really simple, and these are some of the markers that we are looking to get out of the game,” Coley added.

That said, Coley pointed to the progress made in their build up to the Test match. The first Test is scheduled for January 17 in Adelaide, with the second set to take place on January 25 at The Gabba.

“I am happy with the progress we have made. It has been a gradual adjustment (to the conditions), but at the end of the day, regardless of how the pitch plays and what response we get from the pitch when bowling, each player has to adapt to what is in front of him,” Coley declared.

He continued: “Sometimes the pitch has little to do with it, as opposed to being locked in to what is in front of you. I think we have covered that pretty well in the batting, and similarly, adjusting to bowling lengths and what we want to achieve.

“The ability to hit specific areas has been good, as well as getting a general feel for how the ball moves around in the atmosphere from a fielding standpoint, we have been able to spend some time on that.”

The Windies are currently preparing for a return to international cricket with the upcoming tour of England, after a globally enforced break due to the coronavirus pandemic.  Ahead of the series, the regional team is likely to be encouraged by the fact that it once again has a full complement of first choice strike bowlers. The likes of Kemar Roach, Shannon Gabriel, and Alzarri Joseph are all available having recovered from injury.  The regional team’s bowling attack has on occasion shown that they can be a handful for even top batting line-ups.  Against England, in the Caribbean last year, Roach and Holder both claimed four-wicket hauls, with Gabriel and Joseph getting among the wickets as well.  Estwick believes a major difference that has boosted the team's bowling performance in recent years is its level of fitness.

“What we’ve done is to improve our fitness,  now we can sustain pressure,” Estwick said via a news conference.

“If you look back in the 80s, that’s one thing the fast bowlers had, it’s fitness.  Another thing is that they (current players) are now understanding fast bowling.  They have got to that age, Kemar and Shannon they are leading the charge and they are very experienced,” he added.

 “Jason Holder has become a much better Test match bowler in the last two years and Alzarri Joseph is now beginning to show his potential.  So were have four fast bowlers where we can challenge any team in the world.”

A chastening World Cup campaign has ushered in a new era for England although it was largely the contributions of individuals out in India who had the biggest impact in the first of three ODIs.

Three weeks on from their final match in the subcontinent, Brook top-scored in England’s 325 all out, with all of their batters reaching double figures except for Buttler and number 11 Gus Atkinson.

Buttler had a torrid World Cup, averaging 15.33 without passing 50 once, and never got going in Antigua before being dismissed for three off 13 balls after gloving a reverse sweep to the lone slip.

Sam Curran and Brydon Carse put on 66 in 38 balls down the order to get England over 300 after they had slipped to 239 for seven against a new-look Windies side who failed to qualify for the World Cup.

Phil Salt gave England a turbocharged start with a boundary-laden 45 in 28 balls after winning the toss under sunny skies while the tourists went on to record the highest ODI score at this ground, helped by occasionally shoddy fielding from their opponents.

Salt wasted no time in settling, crashing five fours and three meaty leg-side sixes off fast bowlers Alzarri Joseph and Romario Shepherd, forcing Windies captain Shai Hope to turn to spin after six overs.

The change worked as Salt ended an electric innings in tame fashion. He has struggled against left-arm spin in the past and he was snared by Gudakesh Motie after backing away to leg and lofting to cover.

Will Jacks had been in Salt’s slipstream in a 77-run stand but still dispatched a 96-metre six arcing over cover, aided slightly by a breeze blowing across the ground, before nicking off as England’s openers departed in quick succession.

Conditions seemed to grow trickier, with the ball occasionally keeping low, as Test openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett attempted to build on England’s rapid start.

Duckett’s customary sweeps, both orthodox and reverse, came to the fore but he had his leg-stump pegged back by one that skidded on from leg-spinner Yannic Cariah, who should have had Crawley on 30 but a top-edged which looped gently to long-on was spilled by Motie, possibly unsighted by the sunshine.

Crawley was run out for 48 after setting off for a single, only to see Brook had not budged, allowing Hope to whip off the bails following Alick Athanaze’s throw from point.

Brook was initially quiet, nudging and nurdling 12 singles from his first 18 balls before reverse sweeping Motie for his first four. His second boundary was the result of more Windies misfielding as Keacy Carty got in a tangle and the ball sailed underneath his legs.

He kept England ticking over then accelerated after Buttler’s departure, clubbing Shepherd then Cariah for sixes. Cariah was also taken the distance twice by Livingstone in an over costing 23 but the England all-rounder fell for 17, trapped lbw by a grubber from Shepherd.

Brook was dropped at point on 70 but added just another run before being deceived by Shepherd’s pace-off delivery and thumping to mid-off.

At 239 for seven, England’s lower order had work to do but Sam Curran, who had a fringe role at the World Cup, and Carse, an unused squad member, helped the tourists finish with a flourish.

Both lower order batters cleared the rope twice to carry England beyond 300 before Curran was run out on 38. Carse was unbeaten on 31.