West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has revealed that fast bowler Alzarri Joseph declined selection for the upcoming two-match Test series against Pakistan, providing more clarity after Cricket West Indies (CWI) initially stated that the pacer was unavailable due to "personal reasons."
Alzarri Joseph's absence comes as a huge blow for the Caribbean side, with the 29-year-old having featured in both Tests against Sri Lanka earlier this summer before also playing a key role in the ODI series against New Zealand. His decision means West Indies will head into the Pakistan series without one of their premier fast bowlers.
Alzarri Joseph's omission is among the biggest talking points as West Indies prepare to host Pakistan in a two-Test series beginning on July 26, with the opening match set to be played at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy in Tarouba. The second Test will start on August 2 in Port of Spain.
Alzarri Joseph was part of West Indies' recent Test assignment against Sri Lanka, where he claimed six wickets across two matches. He then switched to white-ball cricket and impressed in the ODI series against New Zealand, producing match-winning figures of 4/41 in the opening game.
Despite Alzarri Joseph's absence, the hosts have retained a balanced bowling attack. The pace department will be led by Shamar Joseph, Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales, while all-rounders Justin Greaves and Keemo Paul provide additional seam-bowling options. Spin responsibilities will be shared by Jomel Warrican, debutant Joshua Bishop and captain Roston Chase.
The selectors have also rewarded Joshua Bishop with his maiden Test call-up after his impressive domestic performances, while Kirk McKenzie returns to the Test squad for the first time since 2024. The series is crucial for both teams, with West Indies and Pakistan currently occupying the bottom places in the World Test Championship standings.
"Yeah, it is a big loss. Mr Joseph has declined selection" - Daren Sammy
Speaking ahead of the opening Test, Daren Sammy acknowledged that Alzarri Joseph's absence is a major blow and clarified that the fast bowler had opted out after being selected for the squad.
"Yeah, it is a big loss. Mr Joseph has declined selection. That's the reality of the situation. He was selected. I mean, he's now coming from injury. And for reasons since, he has declined the selection."
Daren Sammy also admitted that decisions regarding contracted players declining national selection are outside his authority and will instead be dealt with by Cricket West Indies' administrators.
"That is a decision that is way over my head. I leave that with the directors to come up with whatever solutions where contracted players get to decline selection."
"We know we have the bowling line-up to take 20 wickets and help us win Test matches" - Daren Sammy
Despite missing one of his strike bowlers, Sammy remains confident that West Indies possess enough quality in their attack to challenge Pakistan throughout the series. He pointed to the team's recent bowling performances against New Zealand and Australia as evidence that the current group is capable of dismissing opposition sides twice in a Test match.
"What I could tell you [is that] we have a bowling line-up that we've seen that could take 20 wickets. That's the first start to winning Test matches. We saw it in New Zealand. We saw it in the Australia series. We matched Australia with the ball. We matched New Zealand with the ball as well. And the confidence and the work that the batters have put in, you could see it bearing fruit in the Test series against Sri Lanka. You know, much more consistency coming through."
Sammy believes the team's batting has also started showing signs of improvement and is optimistic that combining stronger batting performances with a reliable bowling attack will help West Indies compete consistently in the longest format.
"So once we match these two, batsmen scoring runs, we know we have the bowling line-up to take 20 wickets and help us win Test matches."
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