‘Such things can happen’ - Shai Hope downplays Alzarri Joseph’s field-leaving antic in third England ODI

During the third ODI against England in Barbados, ace pacer Alzarri Joseph stormed out of the pitch following a disagreement with captain Shai Hope. The incident happened in the fourth over of the game when Joseph wanted a certain type of field placement, which Hope disagreed with. It led to the pacer bowling a bouncer to Jordan Cox, who couldn’t escape and nicked it for the keeper to pick up a simple catch.

Following the dismissal, Joseph did not celebrate and was staring at Hope, who did not react. The 27-year-old then went back to bowling, completed his over and interestingly, stormed out of the ground shaking his head. Head coach Daren Sammy looked confused as well, while Joseph made his way back to the field after spending one over in the dressing room. During that over, West Indies had only 10 players on the field.

Also Check - Watch: Alzarri Joseph storms off field after disagreement with skipper Shai Hope

After the game, captain Hope was asked to comment on Joseph’s behaviour. “No comments! In a situation like that, you have to understand that such things can happen,” Hope said.

We were disciplined and the main thing to be an elite team: Hope

Hope was elated following West Indies’ eight-wicket win in the third ODI and sealing the series 2-1. He noted that the players were disciplined and that’s the hallmark of an elite team and was happy to see them play good cricket consistently. The 30-year-old also believes that the series will boost the confidence of the players.

“I thought we were disciplined and the main thing to be an elite team is to make sure that you do it consistently. He's (Keacy Carty) a big plus for us, the hard work is really showing. The boys are doing a lot of work off the field and it's a really big confidence booster for us,” he added.