"It was expected that..." - Aakash Chopra explains why LSG replaced Mark Wood with Shamar Joseph for IPL 2024

Cricketer-turned-commentator Aakash Chopra has explained why Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) replaced Mark Wood with Shamar Joseph for IPL 2024. Aakash Chopra also praised Shamar Joseph for his beautiful journey so far in his cricket career.

Lucknow Super Giants retained England pacer Mark Wood ahead of the IPL 2024 auction last year. The England pacer had a contract of Rs. 7.50 crore with the team. However, the franchise recently dropped him from the squad. They later signed Shamar Joseph for Rs. 3 crore.

Shamar Joseph will be in focus during IPL 2024. He grabbed a lot of limelight after his stint in the Test series against Australia. Lucknow Super Giants reached the playoffs in the last two seasons. However, the KL Rahul-led side lost the Eliminator game on both occasions and could not reach the final. In IPL 2023, they lost the Eliminator clash to Mumbai Indians.

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Mark Wood wouldn’t be available for the entire IPL 2024: Aakash Chopra

Reputed commentator Aakash Chopra revealed the reason why LSG replaced Mark Wood with Shamar Joseph. He noted that Wood might not be available for the entire IPL 2024 and this might hamper LSG’s performance in the playoffs.

“The Lucknow Super Giants have signed Shamar Joseph. The Lucknow franchise needs to move forward as they reached the playoffs for two consecutive seasons. Eventually, you want to finish on the podium and maybe with the trophy in hand. So for that, they have now kept Joseph”.

“It was probably expected that Mark Wood wouldn’t be available for the entire season. However, before that itself, they decided – Mark Wood bye-bye, Shamar Joseph hi-hi. So Joseph has become a part of this team,” Chopra said.

Notably, the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 will commence on June 1 in the West Indies and USA. As a result, many prominent players might return to their country for the preparation for the tournament.

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It’s the story of woodcutter: Aakash Chopra hails Shamar Joseph

Aakash Chopra also heaped praises on Shamar Joseph for his recent success. Chopra said that Joseph’s journey from a woodcutter to a cricketer is beautiful.

“It is the story of a woodcutter. His entire village works as carpenters. So his story started from there and where it’s reached – it’s beautiful. So Shamar Joseph will be playing in the Indian Premier League. He has got a very good contract, it’s exciting,” the 46-year-old added.

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Shamar Joseph led West Indies to Test victory in Australia after 27 years

Shamar Joseph recently helped West Indies to crush Australia in a Test match. When Australia needed 216 for victory in the AUS vs WI 2nd Test at The Gabba, Shamar Joseph hunted 7 wickets to drive the team to a thrilling victory by 8 runs.

Notably, the 24-year-old pacer helped West Indies to secure a Test victory in Australia after 27 years and script history. Joseph also clinched 13 wickets in the two-match series to win the player-of-the-series award. Earlier, he hunted a five-wicket haul in the 1st Test. The series ended in a 1-1 tie.