West Indies head coach Daren Sammy was not at all happy with Alzarri Joseph's infamous walkout in the third ODI against England which was being played at the Kensington Oval in Barbados. He called it 'unacceptable' and said will definitely have a conversation with the player on the incident. Joseph's annoyance became apparent in the fourth over as he appeared to be upset at a fielding arrangement that skipper Shai Hope had set.
Joseph showed obvious signs of dissension by returning to his mark following a heated argument with Hope, even though he had taken out Jordan Cox off the fourth delivery. Then, without telling the team, he left the field abruptly at the end of the over, leaving West Indies short one fielder for the fifth over.
Sammy on the incident
"Behaviour 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," said Sammy while talking to TalkSPORT after the game about the fast bowler’s actions
Joseph's participation in the game was further hampered by his intermittent field departures. He returned to the squad for the sixth over after his initial exit, although he did not bowl until the twelfth. Even though he momentarily returned to his position, he left the field once more after England secured more runs through overthrows following consecutive misfields off his own deliveries.
Joseph later completed his 10-over spell with good figures of 2 for 45. He took crucial wickets of Cox and Dan Mousley.
Stars like Andre Russell and Evin Lewis have returned to the team thanks in large part to Sammy's leadership style. He described how he manages team dynamics, saying, "I pride myself on having difficult conversations. But in a way that everybody understands what is needed to be done. To see guys going out there and slowly progressing in the right direction makes me proud."
Creating a dedicated and disciplined team culture is still a major focus for Sammy, even if he admitted there is still "a lot of work to be done." West Indies won the ODI series 2-1 in the end, providing a positive start as they get ready for the forthcoming five-match T20 series. After missing the most recent series against Sri Lanka, Sammy intimated that fans would see some familiar faces return to the team: Nicholas Pooran and Akeal Hosein.
