4 min readAug 1, 2026 10:34 AM IST
West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph has fired back at head coach Daren Sammy over comments made about his absence from the ongoing Test series against Pakistan. Joseph labelled Sammy’s remarks as “controversial and without context,” accusing the coach of shaping a misleading public perception around his decision.
Cricket West Indies originally attributed Joseph’s absence to “personal reasons” in their official squad announcement. But Sammy later told the media that the fast bowler had “declined selection,” claiming he had been picked after recovering from injury but chose not to play. Joseph, however, insists he had already spoken to both Sammy and the board about his decision to skip the series.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show on Antigua Observer, Joseph made it clear that Sammy knew exactly what he was doing when he made those remarks.
“We had a chat, myself and the head coach. I’ve also had a chat with CWI and if you realise the statement CWI released said personal reasons. Mr Sammy, being around for a long time, he knows exactly what that statement would have done. So to be honest, I have nothing to say to Mr Sammy in terms of his statement. Like I said, he knows exactly what that statement would have done and the narrative it would have pushed in the public.”
Earlier, while Cricket West Indies had announced that Joseph was unavailable due to personal reasons but Sammy said that the decision to not have him in the team is “way over my head”.
“Yeah, it is a big loss. Mr Joseph has declined selection. That’s the reality of the situation,” Sammy said at a press interaction ahead of the series opener. “He was selected. I mean, he’s now coming back from injury. And for reasons since, he has declined the selection. 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,” said the coach.
‘I am representing West Indies, not Daren Sammy’
Joseph explained that managing his workload after a long injury layoff was the real reason behind his decision. He had missed tours to India and New Zealand due to a second stress fracture, returned for the Sri Lanka Tests, and featured in all five ODIs against New Zealand earlier this month.
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“Obviously, I’ve been out for an entire year. I haven’t played at international intensity for so long after having a second stress fracture. We spoke about me playing the two Test matches here, playing five back-to-back ODIs and how my body was feeling and I knew to myself, my body was not ready to go into another Test series. So the statement in itself is controversial, without context.”
When asked if the episode had soured his relationship with Sammy, Joseph made it clear that it would not interfere with his commitment to the team. “I’m a professional, so I’m going to go to work. I am representing the West Indies… I’m not representing Daren Sammy. So for me, I’m neither here nor there in terms of a relationship. I don’t go there to make friends. I go there to work and do a job and represent the people of the West Indies.”
