Joseph stars after mother’s death

ALZARRI JOSEPH contained his emotions yesterday during a clinical bowling display after vowing to continue playing in the second Test despite the death overnight of his mother Sharon.

The 22-year-old plunged England towards another seismic defeat with the dismissals of captain Joe Root and debutant Joe Denly in the space of six deliveries on the third afternoon, marking each with muted celebration in the midst of hugs from teammates. Earlier, he received a warm ovation from both sets of supporters in his native Antigua as he made his way to the middle to contribute seven runs to West Indies’ marathon first innings of 306. He had been tearful during his early morning warm-up routines.

Joseph, the eldest of two brothers, is playing a Test match at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium for the first time and it is a ground which has significant ties for him. His maternal grandmother Ilene had been there on the first two days in her role as one of the regular scoreboard operators but was understandably absent on the third. West Indies team manager Rawl Lewis said: ‘We know that this will be a very sad and difficult time for Alzarri and his family.

‘But we hope that it brings him comfort to know that his grief is shared by us all and we would like to extend our deepest sympathies.’

Joseph’s mother had been ill for some time. In 2016, just weeks after making his full international debut, he returned from Dubai on the eve of the one-day squad travelling on to a triangular tournament in Zimbabwe which also featured Sri Lanka.

Both England and West Indies wore black armbands throughout as a mark of respect.