Alzarri Joseph: Biography, Cricket Career and CPL Journey
Alzarri Joseph is a fast bowler from Antigua in the West Indies. He bowls very quickly and often surprises batters with short, bouncy balls. Many players around the world find him difficult to face.
In the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), he has taken many important wickets and helped his teams in T20 matches. Sometimes, he also scores a few useful runs with the bat.
He started as a talented young player and worked hard to become an important player for the West Indies team. His journey inspires many young cricketers. This article talks about his life and his achievements in cricket.
Early Life and Background
Shaheim Joseph was born on November 20, 1996, in Antigua. He grew up in a family that loved cricket, which helped him become interested in the game at a young age.
He used local cricket grounds as his playground and practiced bowling fast. Even as a child, he could bowl very quickly and accurately. Community coaches helped him learn the right techniques and encouraged him to work hard.
As a teenager, he played very well in youth tournaments. His family continued to support him, and he was inspired by famous cricket players from Antigua. These early years helped him dream of becoming a professional cricketer.
Domestic Cricket Career
Alzarri Joseph started playing senior cricket for the Leeward Islands in regional tournaments. He played his first first-class match in 2014.
In First-class, he has played 77 games. He scored 1,489 runs and made five half-centuries. But he is mainly known for his bowling. He has taken 249 wickets in first-class cricket, and his best bowling performance was 7 wickets for 46 runs in one match.
In one-day matches (List A), he played 103 games. He scored some runs and took 171 wickets, with his best being 5 wickets for 56 runs.
In T20 cricket, he has played 168 matches and taken 200 wickets. Even though he doesn’t score many runs, his bowling is very important for his team.
Domestic Career Stats
| Format | Matches | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Batting Average | Strike Rate | Centuries | Half-Centuries | Catches | Wickets | Best Bowling | Bowling Average | Economy Rate | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First-Class | 77 | 121 | 15 | 1489 | 89 | 14.04 | 59.84 | 0 | 5 | 30 | 249 | 7/46 | 28.75 | 3.52 | 10 | 2 |
| List A | 103 | 60 | 19 | 633 | 51* | 15.44 | 78.93 | 0 | 1 | 35 | 171 | 5/56 | 26.54 | 5.40 | 5 | 0 |
| T20 (Domestic) | 168 | 76 | 39 | 484 | 29* | 13.08 | 106.84 | 0 | 0 | 23 | 200 | 6/12 | 25.70 | 8.79 | 0 | 0 |
Alzarri Joseph International Cricket Career
He played his first Test match against India in August 2016. In that match, he took three wickets and impressed everyone.
In 40 Test matches, he scored 770 runs and made two half-centuries. But he is mainly known for his bowling. He has taken 124 wickets in Test cricket, including three times when he took five wickets in one match. His best bowling in a Test was 5 wickets for 27 runs.
He played his first One-Day International (ODI) against Pakistan in October 2016. In 81 ODI matches, he scored some runs and took 133 wickets. His best bowling in ODIs was 5 wickets for 56 runs.
He made his T20 International debut against Afghanistan in June 2017. In 45 T20I matches, he took 62 wickets. His best T20I bowling was 5 wickets for 40 runs.
He has also served as vice-captain, which gave him more responsibility. Joseph played in the Cricket World Cups in 2019 and 2024, showing how important he is to the team.
International Career Stats
| Format | Matches | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | Highest Score | Batting Average | Strike Rate | Centuries | Half-Centuries | Catches | Stumpings | Wickets | Best Bowling | Bowling Average | Economy Rate | 5w | 10w |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 40 | 65 | 2 | 770 | 86 | 12.22 | 56.74 | 0 | 2 | 17 | 0 | 124 | 5/27 | 33.46 | 3.69 | 2 | 0 |
| ODI | 81 | 46 | 16 | 489 | 49 | 16.30 | 76.64 | 0 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 133 | 5/56 | 27.88 | 5.49 | 1 | 0 |
| T20I | 45 | 19 | 11 | 129 | 21* | 16.13 | 103.20 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 62 | 5/40 | 24.59 | 9.24 | 1 | 0 |
Alzarri Joseph CPL Career
The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) has helped Joseph grow as a T20 player since 2016. He first played for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. Later, in 2021, he joined the St Lucia Kings.
The CPL is great for his fast bowling, especially at the end of matches when the pressure is high. He learned how to bowl special deliveries like yorkers to stop batters from scoring runs. Sometimes, he also helps with the bat.
At first, it was not easy to adjust to the fast pace of T20 cricket. But as he played more seasons, he became more confident and made a bigger impact for his teams.
Debut and Early Seasons
Alzarri Joseph played his first CPL season in 2016 for the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots. He played many matches and took wickets regularly.
In the beginning, he bowled very fast, but sometimes gave away too many runs. He learned how to change his bowling length and be smarter against strong batters.
By 2017, he had better control, especially in the middle part of the game. Playing in important playoff matches also gave him more experience.
Performances in Recent CPL Editions
In the 2024 CPL season, Joseph helped the St Lucia Kings win their first championship. He played 12 matches and took 9 wickets. He didn’t score many runs, but his bowling was very important for the team.
In 2025, the Kings kept him on the team. He played 12 more matches and took 11 wickets. His best bowling in one game was 3 wickets for 30 runs.
His fast bowling made it hard for opening batters to score, especially at the start of matches. Joseph played a big role in his team’s success.
Alzarri Joseph Key Stats in CPL
| Season | Team | Matches | Wickets | Best Bowling | Average | Economy | Runs | Highest Score | Batting Average | Strike Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | St Kitts and Nevis Patriots | 7 | 9 | 3/15 | 26.11 | 8.50 | 20 | 10 | 10.00 | 100.00 |
| 2017 | St Kitts and Nevis Patriots | 10 | 11 | 4/17 | 25.00 | 8.20 | 30 | 15 | 15.00 | 120.00 |
| 2018 | St Kitts and Nevis Patriots | 10 | 10 | 3/20 | 28.50 | 8.40 | 25 | 12 | 12.50 | 110.00 |
| 2019 | St Kitts and Nevis Patriots | 10 | 9 | 3/25 | 30.00 | 8.60 | 18 | 9 | 9.00 | 90.00 |
| 2020 | St Kitts and Nevis Patriots | 8 | 8 | 2/18 | 32.00 | 8.70 | 15 | 8 | 7.50 | 85.00 |
| 2021 | St Lucia Kings | 10 | 9 | 3/18 | 27.00 | 7.90 | 35 | 20 | 17.50 | 125.00 |
| 2022 | St Lucia Kings | 9 | 10 | 4/22 | 24.50 | 7.80 | 40 | 25 | 20.00 | 130.00 |
| 2023 | St Lucia Kings | 8 | 8 | 2/15 | 26.00 | 7.70 | 28 | 15 | 14.00 | 115.00 |
| 2024 | St Lucia Kings | 12 | 9 | 3/18 | 32.00 | 7.79 | 183 | 56* | 26.14 | 126.21 |
| 2025 | St Lucia Kings | 12 | 11 | 3/30 | 25.00 | 7.50 | 236 | 90* | 47.20 | 151.28 |
Overall Cricket Achievements
Joseph made history by becoming the youngest West Indian player to take five wickets in a Test match when he was just 19 years old.
He was also a star player when the West Indies Under-19 team won the World Cup in 2016. In the CPL, he has won titles with the St Lucia Kings, which made him even more famous. He also played very well in the 2023 ODI World Cup qualifiers.
Joseph played in the IPL in 2023 for the Lucknow Super Giants, which gave him more experience. He also played in The Hundred tournament in 2021 for Welsh Fire.
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