West Indies hero Joseph out of ILT20 with toe injury

Author: AAP

West Indies sensation Shamar Joseph has been forced out of the ILT20 with the toe injury he suffered during the stunning Test victory over Australia.

But Joseph has cause to celebrate after signing a maiden Pakistan Super League deal on the back of his seven-for at the Gabba, which sealed West Indies’ eight-run win and his place in Test folklore.

Joseph had appeared unlikely to bowl in the second innings of last week’s Test, just the second of his career, after copping a Mitchell Starc yorker to his foot while batting under lights.

The 24-year-old needed assistance leaving the pitch late on day three as he bled from his right foot.

But the next day the paceman defied the odds and West Indies’ doubters by tearing through the hosts’ batting order, sealing the tourists’ first win in Australia since 1997 with figures of 7-68.

Rather than stay in Australia for the bilateral white-ball series that start this week, Joseph had been due to fly directly to the United Arab Emirates for the second edition of the ILT20 competition. He was to have linked up there with the likes of David Warner, Sam Billings and Jason Holder at the Dubai Capitals.

Instead, West Indies management confirmed to AAP that Joseph would fly home to the Caribbean on Tuesday to rest his right foot, missing out on his ILT20 debut in the process. In better news for the overnight sensation, Joseph will link up with Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League next month after being selected in the replacement draft.

He will join the side as a replacement for Englishman Gus Atkinson, who is unavailable for the beginning of the tournament that commences on February 18.

Australia will host West Indies for three ODIs, the first at the MCG on Friday, before a three-match Twenty20 series that finishes on February 13.