Shamar Joseph's wait to make his IPL debut is set to continue according to Lucknow Super Giants coach Justin Langer, who isn't expecting the West Indies pacer to make it to the starting lineup for the match against Punjab Kings on March 30. Shamar, who was instrumental in West Indies' historic win at the Gabba against Australia, received an IPL contract after Mark Wood decided to pull out of the IPL 2024 season.
While many were hoping to see him in action for the first match against Rajasthan Royals, KL Rahul said that the youngster would have to wait for his chance.
"Shamar Joseph will get game time at some stage," said Rahul during the toss against RR.
This was the same message conveyed by Langer. Speaking at the press conference ahead of the match, the LSG coach said he admired Shamar's spirit, athleticism and his approach towards the game.
Langer said that Shamar is working hard to gain a spot in the LSG playing XI.
“Shamar Joseph is a very talented player,” Langer said. “I admire his spirit, athleticism, and the way he approaches the game. He’s young and working hard to earn a spot. However, I don’t think he’ll be playing tomorrow.”
Speaking ahead of the match on Saturday, Langer said that they will be going with three overseas batters and one bowler with Naveen-ul-Haq getting the nod against Punjab Kings.
“We’ll stick to our plan of playing three overseas batsmen and one overseas bowler. Naveen-ul-Haq bowled well in the first game, and we expect another strong performance from him tomorrow. So, for the match against Punjab, we’ll field three overseas batsmen -- Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran, and Marcus Stoinis -- and Naveen as our specialist overseas bowler.”
LSG had lost their first match of the season against RR by 20 runs and will be looking to return to winning ways against PBKS at the Ekana stadium.
