From childhood buddies to cricket stars: The Romario-Shamar story

The Caribbean cricket scene is currently basking in the triumph achieved at the Gabba and the emergence of Shamar Joseph on the global cricket stage. Amidst the celebration, there is one cricketer who takes particular pride and joy in Shamar's remarkable exploits - Romario Shepherd.

Romario and Shamar, though five years apart in age, have been lifelong buddies and neighbours. Hailing from the same Baracara area of north-eastern Guyana, their childhood memories are intertwined with the famous Canje Creek.

"His arrival is something. If I say, or anyone says, they saw this coming, they would be lying. But I do believe in destiny, and I think this is his destiny. It's unbelievable, and I'm so happy for him," expresses Romario, a white-ball specialist in the West Indies team, about Shamar's meteoric rise.

"He will go a long way because I know he works very hard, and he has a big heart. I mean, who can question his heart after watching him run and bowl at 150 kmph with a burst toe."

Shamar's sensational spell of 12 overs with a bruised toe at the Gabba, where he claimed seven wickets, turned the tables in the Pink Ball Test against Australia, resulting in an eight-run victory for the West Indies. Romario acknowledges this performance, stating, " Well, I think it's up there with some of the greatest performances ever for the West Indies.

"So the sky's the limit for him. My advice to him is to continue working hard and continue asking a lot of questions like he always does; be disciplined and respect the game always. And remember to always have fun. That's the reason we all started to play cricket."

Romario's advice to his younger teammates must mean something. It was he who introduced him to big time cricket. And on one occasion, in fact, he was stunned by the quality of Shamar. Romario, who has played in 28 ODIs and 32 T20Is, recalls the story.

"Well I have known Shamar personally since he was a kid. We come from the same area; we went to the same school up there in nursery and primary (BARACARA PRIMARY). I had to leave the area after primary school and used to see him on and off. We used to play cricket in my yard, he was my next door neighbour. And when I saw him bowl, he was bowling quick. By then I had already made my international debut. So I took him to training with me and first ball of the morning he had me off my feet with a short ball."

Shamar wanted to train with him every day and the senior mate was too happy to oblige. "So after that, he asked to come with me to train with the (Guyana) first class team. I introduced him to our coach. At that time it was (Esuan) Crandon. He (Shamar) never looked back since."

Shamar acknowledges the assistance of Romario. "Mario Shepherd helped me in a way by taking me down to the Guyana team, showing me around what the cricket system is all about. So he has been a great inspiration to me as a fast bowler. I learned a lot from him. He always advised me to keep going and keep believing in myself, and what you want to achieve will always come," the 24-year-old pacer tells Cricbuzz. "He's always that cool person, always a person that shares his thoughts on what you want to do."

Shamar is not going to be carried away by the new-found stardom. He wants to stay grounded. "Oh, I've been hearing the superstar stuff right now. It's amazing to hear that. But I don't want that to get to me. That is already out there. I have already done great things, so hitting a superstar is amazing. I just want to stay humble and be disciplined as always and enjoy it. That's all I want to do -- enjoy every moment in my creating career and my future."

Looking back at the fairytale start to his career (he has played only two Tests so far), Shamar says, "Well, all I can say about my performance in these two Tests is that it was amazing. It was a great start for me in my cricketing career. I must say I'm actually happy and thankful for this great opportunity. And I want to take every thought in my mind and every past moment here to take forward in my career and move forward in future."