Alzarri Joseph’s West Indies career in jeopardy as Daren Sammy slams pacer’s 'unacceptable behavior'

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has blasted pacer Alzarri Joseph for his on-field outburst during the third and final ODI against England in Barbados. Sammy labeled Joseph’s on-field behavior as "unacceptable" after the West Indies fast bowler stormed off the field in a fury during the three-match ODI series decider on November 7.

The drama unfolded during the first inning in the third and final ODI in Barbados on Wednesday. The West Indies won the toss and decided to bowl first against England in the ODI series decider.

West Indies made an early breakthrough, leaving England reeling at 10/1 after just three overs. However, in the fourth over, Alzarri Joseph and West Indies captain Shai Hope were involved in a heated disagreement regarding the field placement.

Daren Sammy lashes out at Alzarri Joseph for disrespecting West Indies team

Frustrated with the field arrangement, Joseph visibly expressed his irritation, and despite taking the wicket of Jordan Cox with a spectacular delivery, he showed no emotion, walking back to his mark without celebrating.

Read Also: Watch: Tension Explodes in Barbados as Alzarri Joseph storms off mid-match after tiff with Shai Hope

What followed was even more shocking: Alzarri Joseph left the field, forcing the West Indies to continue with only 10 players on the field during the West Indies’ remarkable eight-wicket win over England in the third and final ODI in Barbados.

Even the West Indies coach Darren Sammy tried to calm Joseph just outside the boundary, but the fiery pacer didn’t pay any heed and walked off to the dressing room.

The incident stunned the cricketer, with Daren Sammy expressing his strong disapproval of the fast bowler’s behavior after the hosts clinched the ODI series 2-1 at home against England.

Behavior like that is unacceptable on my cricket field: Daren Sammy

The West Indies head coach made it clear that this kind of conduct was not tolerated in the culture he is striving to build within the West Indies cricket team. He also said that they would have a conversation regarding Joseph’s behavior.

Daren Sammy was quoted as saying by TalkSPORT: “Behavior like that is unacceptable on my cricket field. We will be friends, but in the culture I'm trying to build, that's unacceptable. We will definitely have a chat about that.”

Read Also: Watch: Brandon King and Alzarri Joseph pull off a sensational relay catch in West Indies' 8-wicket win vs England

West Indies wins ODI series against England

Notably, Joseph eventually returned to the field at the start of the sixth over, and after a brief spell off, he bowled a solid 3-over stint, finishing with impressive figures of 2/45 in his 10 overs against England. Despite the drama, the West Indies managed to restrict England to 263/8 and eventually won the ODI series 2-1 at home.

Later, Brandon King (102) and Keacy Karty (128*) both hammered brilliant centuries to take the West Indies over the line in 43 overs with eight wickets in hand against England in Barbados. Now, the West Indies and England are all set to face each other in a five-match T20I series, starting on November 10 at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.