West Indies' Joseph hopes England treat him as 'weaker link'

West Indies' Joseph hopes England treat him as 'weaker link'

LONDON (AFP) - Alzarri Joseph hopes it will work to his advantage if England treat him as the "weaker link" of the West Indies  pace attack during next month s Test series.

The 23-year-old is the junior member of a fast bowling line-up that also includes captain Jason Holder, Kemar Roach and Shannon Gabriel.

"Well obviously those three guys have a lot more experience than I do," Joseph, who has played just nine Tests, told a conference call on Saturday.

"I think more often than not teams will see myself as the weaker link, so I think my job is to come in and just back up those bowlers and keep the pressure on."

He added: "It s not necessarily because of age but because of the amount of matches played compared to the other three bowlers.

"But yeah, I can use it as an advantage for me, because I know my abilities, they might not know, but once I get out there on the day and get the job done, I know I can get on top of any opponent.

"I see this tour as an opportunity for me to help the team push higher up the rankings."

The first Test of a three-match behind closed doors series starting in Southampton on July 8 is set to mark the return of major international cricket from lockdown.

It is set to be Joseph s second series in England after he was a member of the West Indies squad that suffered a 2-1 loss in 2017.

"I think I have made some improvements as a bowler, that was a really big learning experience for me, my first time in England," he said.

"So I have some experience here now, I ll know more about these conditions the second time around.

"The ball does a bit more here in England than in the Caribbean, so it needs some slight adjustments."

Joseph helped West Indies regain the Wisden Trophy in the Caribbean last year, appearing on the third day of the second Test just hours after the death of his mother.

Nevertheless, he still produced an aggressive spell that saw him take two wickets.

Joseph, asked how he had coped, said: "For me that was a really hard time.

"But I used that as motivation for me to go out and on that day especially just to make some memories, something to remember her by.

"I just kept on doing everything I had to, to make her proud