[Watch] Shamar Joseph strikes off the very first delivery of his career to bring Steve Smith's maiden stint as an opener to an early endÂ
West Indies debutant Shamar Joseph lived up to his reputation as a player to watch out for after dismissing Steve Smith for 12 runs on Day 1 of the first Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval on Wednesday, January 17.
Joseph announced his arrival with the bat during West Indies' first innings, scoring 36 runs off 41 deliveries after coming in at No.11. The speedster had to wait for his chance with the ball until the ninth over as Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph opened the proceedings with the new ball in the final session.
Smith was looking relatively comfortable at the crease, opening the innings for the first time in Tests. The ace batter was cautious against the ball going away from him, leaving the ball quite well, and had scored two boundaries in his short stay at the crease.
The debutant pacer hit the right line and length straightaway as Smith was forced to defend the delivery that angled into him from a good length. The ball caught the edge, and it was safely pouched by fellow debutant Justin Greaves at third slip. Have a look at the dismissal right here:
The right-arm pacer tested Marnus Labuschagne as well in the remaining deliveries of the over, to finish with a maiden wicket and kickstart his career on a promising note.
Shamar Joseph frustrates Australia with his handy knock down the order in the first innings
Australia were on the lookout to bowl out the visitors for under 150 after opting to bowl first. However, instead of bowing out, Kemar Roach and Shamar Joseph put on 55 runs for the final wicket in Adelaide.
The newcomer recorded three fours and a six in his knock, before finally being trapped LBW by Nathan Lyon, to bring West Indies' innings to a close with 188 runs on the board.
His entertaining 36-run knock ended up being his highest score in first-class cricket, bettering his previous best of 20 runs by some distance.
As of writing, Australia are placed at 33-1 after 11 overs, with Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne occupying the crease at each end.
How many wickets will the debutant take in the first Test against Australia? Let us know what you think.