West Indies pace bowling sensation lands in fresh controversy

The West Indies ace speedster Shamar Joseph is garnering headlines for all the wrong reasons of late. Following the end of the Bridgetown Test, Shamar landed in a fresh controversey as allegations of rape came to light. The pace bowling hero has been accused of rape, sexual assault, harassment and unwanted advances by at least 11 women, including his teen cousin. This groundbreaking news has shaken West Indies cricket to its core.

Although Shamar has not been proven guilty at this stage, if reported to be true, then this could severely jeopardise his promising cricketing career. As per reports, one of his rape victims include his 18-year-old teen cousin who was allegdely raped in his residence in New Amsterdam. Going by the family accounts, Shamar picked her up under the false pretext of socialising and brought her to a house filled with others. He then took her upstairs and committed the heinous act.

In the wake of this shocking development, more women came forward with supporting evidence to prove that Shamar was attempting to put a tight lid on this matter. Back in 2023, Shamar was also arrested on account of sexual assault of a teen relative under the age of consent. The victim withdrew her statement while the case was closed; the charges were not pressed.

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CWI's stance on Shamar Joseph's shocking rape allegations

Shamar's story is an evolving story, and at the moment, the Cricket West Indies (CWI) has declined to make any further comments. But the sudden emergence of these allegations in the midst of a Test match forced the national cricketing board to take action. While responding to SportsMax TV, CWI issued the following statement. 

“Cricket West Indies is unaware of the circumstances and, therefore, is not in a position to comment at this time.”

The second Test is due to take place in Grenada on July 3. It remains unclear whether Shamar will be seen in action for the second Test. A man who gained an unprecedented reputation for firing thunderbolts is now witnessing a possible end to his cricketing career. This shocking news has certainly damaged Shamar's reputation on a global scale, and his departure from the cricketing arena is bound to puncture West Indies cricket as a whole.