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The ECB pulled Wood out of IPL 2024 to manage his workload ahead of the T20 World Cup and the Tests against the West Indies and Sri Lanka.
ESPNcricinfo Staff
West Indies fast bowler Shamar Joseph has joined the Lucknow Super Giants as a replacement for England fast Mark Wood. He will join the Super Giants for INR 3 crore, according to an IPL statement on Saturday.
ESPNcricinfo understands that the ECB pulled Wood, a centrally contracted player, from IPL 2024 to manage his workload, with the T20 World Cup scheduled for June and England hosting the West Indies and Sri Lanka for Tests in the summer local. Recently, the ECB had stopped Jofra Archer from being part of the IPL 2024 auction while managing his return from injury ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Super Giants had signed Wood in the auction ahead of the 2022 season for INR 7.50 crore. He, however, missed that season due to an elbow injury. In IPL 2023, Wood played four matches and took 11 wickets at an average of 11.82.
Joseph made his West Indies debut in the drawn series against Australia, dismissing Steven Smith with his first ball in Test cricket, in a game the West Indies lost in Adelaide. He then became a global phenomenon when he took a seven-wicket haul in the final innings despite a foot injury to give the West Indies a dramatic eight-run victory at the Gabba in the second Test. It was West Indies’ first Test victory in Australia since 1997.
Joseph had been signed by Dubai Capitals for the current ILT20 season ahead of the West Indies’ tour of Australia, but was subsequently ruled out due to the toe injury he suffered in the Brisbane Test when a Mitchell Starc yorker knocked him out. hit. But his performance in Australia has earned him a contract with Peshawar Zalmi in the PSL, which begins on February 17.
While Joseph has just played two T20 games in his professional career and is yet to have a wicket to show for it, West Indies white-ball coach Daren Sammy has indicated that Joseph could find a place in the World Cup squad T20, saying that the fast bowler has “created quite a headache” for the selectors.
Apart from Joseph, the Super Giants fast bowling line-up has Naveen-ul-Haq, Mohsin Khan, David Willey, Shivam Mavi, Yash Thakur and Yudhvir Singh. They also have all-rounders Marcus Stoinis, Kyle Mayers and India U-19 World Cup player Arshin Kulkarni who can give them plenty of overs. Although they are only two seasons into the IPL, the Super Giants have been one of the best performing teams, making the playoffs and finishing third in both 2022 and 2023.