Australia vs West Indies: Who is Shamar Joseph? From Security Guard to Windies' Gabba Hero

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Australia vs West Indies 2nd Test match at The Gabba saw the advent of a new pace sensation Shamar Joseph, whose seven-wicket haul on the fourth day saw the Caribbean side win their first Test match Down Under in 27 years.

The 24-year-old Guyanese bundled out the Australian inning for 207 runs while defending an achievable total of 216 in the day/night affair. We take a look at Shamar Joseph's nascent international and domestic career before that.

Australia vs West Indies: Who is Shamar Joseph?

Guyanese cricket player Shamar Joseph was born on August 31, 1999 in Baracara, a small community East Berbice-Corentyne. Joseph was raised in a household with five brothers and three sisters. Joseph watched the West Indies cricket team's opening bowlers Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh's highlights as a child and tried to emulate them in his tape ball games around the hamlet.

Baracara had just one black-and-white television and no other means of communication besides landlines, thus he grew up with little to no access to the internet or phone service (the village apparently only gained internet in 2018). Furthermore, Baracara only had a primary school and a tiny health center; the hamlet lacked space for a secondary school. Prior to his professional cricket career, he did daily-wage labour jobs in various sectors.

In his early days, Shamar Joseph, along with his father and siblings, was employed in the logging business, felling and chopping logs in the Bacara and bringing the wood to New Amsterdam via the Canje River. After almost getting struck by a falling tree, Joseph made the decision to leave Bacara and moved to New Amsterdam in order to support his family.

Shamar Joseph was hired as a labourer in the construction industry in New Amsterdam before moving on to become a security guard. His employment as a security guard included long 12-hour hours, both during the day and at night, which limited his time for cricket pursuits. Joseph ultimately made the decision to leave his work and devote himself full-time to his cricketing goals, with the help of his fiancée.

Shamar Joseph's first break in cricket came through fellow Guyanese Romario Shepherd. Joseph made connections with prominent Guyanese players and head coach Esuan Crandon after Shepherd introduced him to the Guyana cricket squad.

Joseph made a big impression right away in Division 1 cricket, with debut figures of 6/13. He also went to Curtly Ambrose's fast bowling clinic in Berbice. In a trial match, he took eight wickets, further solidifying his dominance and leading to a call-up to the first-class cricket team.

Following a successful List-A career, Shamara Joseph joined the Guyana Amazon Warriors as an injury substitute for Keemo Paul in the 2023 Caribbean Premier League, when he was first brought in as a net bowler. Joseph was inspired to pursue his cricket career by Prasanna Agoram, a Warriors talent scout, whom he met during his first CPL tenure.

On September 17, 2023, Joseph made his Twenty20 debut against the Barbados Royals in a league stage encounter. Joseph was also a vital component of the Guyana Amazon Warriors team, which won the CPL in 2023. Despite playing in just two games during his initial 2023 Warriors assignment, Joseph impressed with his ability to routinely hit paces above 140 kmph.

Shamar's international debut soon followed as he was included in the West Indies Test squad in December 2023 as one of the seven uncapped players for the tour to Australia, where they played two-match test series as part of the ICC World Test Championship for 2023-2025.

On January 17, 2024, he played his first test of the two-match series against Australia at the Adelaide Oval. It was the first two spells that he bowled at the Karen Rolton Oval against the Cricket Australia XI side, warranted him a place in the first test match of the series against Australia as his bowling spells in the only tour match impressed the West Indies selectors. The pacer made his maiden delivery in international cricket memorable with the wicket of modern-day great Steve Smith.