‘Definitely would want to ruin his farewell’: Shamar Joseph on James Anderson’s swansong at Lord’s

James Anderson will be featuring in his international swansong as England take on West Indies in the first Test at the iconic Lord’s Cricket Ground in London starting on Wednesday.

Shamar Joseph during a practice session ahead of the first ENG vs WI Test at Lord’s. (Photo – Getty Images)

New Delhi: West Indies’ pace sensation Shamar Joseph doesn’t have noble thoughts about James Anderson playing his farewell Test as he is looking forward to “ruin” his departure when they face England at Lord’s during the first Test of the series. The match, scheduled from July 10 to 14, will be the last international outing of Anderson stepping on the field. He is bound to finish as the pacer with the most wickets in the history of Test cricket.

Speaking to the media ahead of the opening Test, Shamar hailed Anderson as a brilliant player and someone he has looked up to while growing up. The right-arm quick said that the England legend is “perfect” while looking at the wicket tally of his career.

“He is such an amazing player. Someone I have looked up to. Someone who is very good at this level. You could say he’s perfect because he has a lot of wickets at this level. Definitely, I would want to ruin that farewell for him,” Joseph said on Monday. The speedster also shared his excitement to be in England as it is known for speed bowling. “I’m excited to be here. England is known for a good fast bowling,” Joseph said.

Shamar also looked forward to adding his name to the list of elite bowlers who have shone at Lord’s and is hoping he can do well at the iconic ground. “Watching a lot of the Ashes with great fast bowlers, Jofra Archer, Mitchell Starc, all the great fast bowlers come out here and do well. that’s something I would want to do as well,” Joseph added.

Confidence high after Australia tour

Shamar stepped into the limelight with his exploits during the Australia tour where in his debut series, he helped West Indies achieve a historic win at the Gabba. The pacer wants his side to maintain the same enthusiasm in England as well. “Since our last tour of Australia, we maintain our energy. That’s the mindset we come into this series with (that West Indies can compete against England),” Joseph said.

West Indies and England will play a three-match Test series that starts with the first Test on July 10 at Lord’s, the second Test being scheduled on July 18 in Nottingham and the third Test starting on July 26 in Birmingham.