Windies’ Alzarri Joseph goes out to bat hours after mother’s demise; gets applauded

Inspiring tales of cricketers returning to their duties on the ground after overcoming personal grief are not something new. We had the great Sachin Tendulkar returning to the World Cup after attending his father’s funeral to hit a hundred. We also saw captain Virat Kohli sticking to his responsibility of saving his team in domestic cricket despite losing his dear father. Now, we have one similar story from the Windies and it has left the cricketing world proud about young bowler Alzarri Joseph.

The 22-year-old fast bowler from Antigua who is yet to complete three years in international cricket showed tremendous grit in the second Test between the Windies and England in North Sound in his home. Joseph came out to bat for his side on Day 3 hours after losing his mother Sharon who was suffering from a prolonged illness.

He continued to play in the game as the hosts at that point looked favourites to claim another victory. After bowling out England for 187 in the first innings and taking a lead of 119 runs, the Windies reduced the Three Lions to 75 for 4 and cleaned em all up for 132. As a result, Windies had to just score 17 runs to win the game and the series 2-0, they did that without losing a wicket and routed the visiting team is authoritative manner.

Alzarri gets standing ovation

Players from both sides were wearing black armbands as a mark of respect. Even when Alzarri went out to bat at No.9 in the first innings, the crowd gave him a standing ovation. Joseph finished the match with four wickets, making a significant impact despite the personal tragedy. It may be mentioned here that the player had left the Windies team during a tour last year to be with his ailing mother.

In the end, it turned out to be a series to remember for the Windies as they were at their absolute best in both the matches and gave the visitors no chance. England a strong team in whites was made to look less than ordinary by Jason Holder & Co to claim a famous victory.

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Windies vs England series, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.