West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph found himself in the middle of a controversy when he stormed off the field after engaging in a heated argument with captain Shai Hope. The incident took place during the third ODI against England. The argument between teammates unfolded in the fourth over of England’s innings, leading to Joseph walking off the field. It occurred after Joseph bowled his second over, despite taking a wicket in it.
On the first ball of the fourth over, Joseph and Hope had an extended discussion about the field placement. The English team was at 10/1, and the pacer was visibly frustrated with the field setup, especially towards the slips. Their discussion was prolonged and the 27-year-old, evidently agitated, was seen continuously waving his arms.
Despite the visible tension between both the teammates, Joseph continued to bowl and came up with a 148.2 kph short ball. It led to the dismissal of Jordan Cox as the English batter tried to defend the delivery but it ended up bouncing brilliantly, landing in the gloves of the wicketkeeper. However, rather than celebrating the wicket, Joseph walked off the field without speaking to Hope after completing a wicket-maiden.
While coach Darren Sammy tried to calm Joseph outside the boundary, he remained adamant and went on to sit in the dugout. After some time, he rejoined the match and resumed bowling in the 12th over. In his absence, substitute fielder Hayden Walsh Jr. began to prepare to rejoin the field. The match saw Joseph registering figures of 2/45 in the 10 overs that he bowled.