IPL 2024 | Lucknow Super Giants announce Shamar Joseph as replacement for Mark Wood

SportsCafe Desk
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West Indian quick Shamar Joseph of Gabba fame is set for a maiden stint in the Indian Premier League after landing an INR 3-crore contract with Lucknow Super Giants. The franchise did not offer any explanation behind Mark Wood's absence from the upcoming season after an injury-plagued 2023 edition.

‌Shamar Joseph rose to fame after spearheading West Indies to a historic win at the Gabba in January with a seven-wicket haul in the second innings to defend a target of 216. The 24-year-old had been harboring a wounded toe and was expected to not be available to bowl for Kraigg Brathwaite and co but ended up improving his wickets tally to 13 scalps across the two Tests to take home the Richie Benaud medal. Joseph was subsequently ruled out of the ongoing ILT20 season, having been previously picked by the Dubai Capitals, but has since signed for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League which would be his first franchise stint outside of the Caribbean Premier League.

Joseph's IPL contract comes at the cost of Mark Wood who is currently involved in the five-match Test series in India. With just one IPL match under his belt before the 2023 season, the Englishman had been picked at the auction by LSG for INR 7.5 crore and immediately took the league by storm to scalp 11 wickets in four games, including a sensational five-wicket haul. However, the injury-prone 34-year-old ended up biding his time on the bench for the entirety of the second half owing to niggles and load management requested by the ECB in lieu of the 2023 World Cup where Wood struggled to make a mark.

Joseph boasts a similar pedigree for pace as the England veteran with a knack for consistently exceeding the 90 mph mark and breached the 150 kph barrier multiple times through the series against Australia. The Guyanese has played just two professional T20s in his career for the Amazon Warriors and is yet to take a wicket in the format but could potentially be eyeing a berth in the West Indies squad for the home T20 World Cup in June with impressive performances in the T20 circuit.

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