'Don’t allow burnout' - Ian Bishop urges CWI to 'compensate' Shamar Joseph after Gabba heroics

Following West Indies' historic triumph over Australia, Ian Bishop, the former cricketer and commentator, turned to social media to appeal to the West Indies Cricket Board and Guyana cricket authorities. His plea was to ensure a secure future for Shamar Joseph, the overnight Test star.

Bishop stressed the urgency of providing sufficient funds and implementing a well-managed workload to guarantee the sustainability of Joseph's promising career in the Caribbean.

In his post, Bishop expressed concern not only for Joseph but also for one or two other fast bowlers who, in his opinion, need protection from "burnout". The cricketing legend underscored the significance of collaboration between the board, the Guyana government, and corporate bodies in allocating funds for these budding talents.

"Important for the board, Guyana govt & cooperate bodies to find a way to allocate funds to compensate Shamar Joseph & 1 or 2 other fast bowlers to keep them in the Caribbean & control how much cricket they play. Their pace is everything. Don’t allow burnout," Bishop posted.

Joseph's journey from humble beginnings to becoming the hero of West Indies' Gabba win has captured the imagination of cricket enthusiasts. His unconventional path to the Test cap brings hope to a West Indies cricket system grappling with talent loss to T20 franchise cricket.

Speaking with Wisden, Bishop, known for his insightful commentary, had previously discussed the challenges of modern workloads in cricket. He emphasized the necessity of managing workloads to prevent burnout, especially for all-format bowlers like Joseph.

“It [workload] has to be managed, it has to be managed because it’s becoming harder and harder now to be an all-format player,” Bishop had said in February last year. “Particularly from a bowling perspective, but not exclusively. Guys are starting to have to prioritise their family time, their personal life a little bit more. Plus, you can’t, you can’t play every format over the year, you’ll just get burned out.

“And it may not be so much just the games, but the practice sessions, the travelling, going from one franchise to the other. It is something that certainly has to be managed because the priority still has to be international cricket. That is the biggest shop window," Bishop had emphasized.

We have to ensure that we allow players to earn a comfortable living: Ian Bishop

Reflecting on the struggles faced by smaller cricketing nations, Bishop stressed the importance of allowing players to earn a comfortable living in their own backyards. He suggested a potential compromise, advocating for fewer T20 leagues per year while ensuring players remain available for international cricket.

“So we have to ensure in our own backyard that we allow players to earn a comfortable living. And if that means having some discussion where we’re playing just two-three leagues a year but still make ourselves available for international cricket, I think that’s fine,” Bishop said. “Players will understand. At least the ones who are in the prime of their careers, because you don’t want to take a guy’s private money away, opportunity away from them. How long do you play international cricket for? So there needs to be a compromise."