In the second Test of the series, West Indies defeated Australia in a thrilling match played at The Gabba in Brisbane.
Day four saw Australia begin their pursuit of 216 runs at 60 for two, with Steven Smith and Cameron Green sharing the crease. This established the scene.
Shamar Joseph, who had been recovering from an agonizing injury, shifted the balance of power in favor of the West Indies as the day went on. He took down Green and Head one after the other in an incredible feat of skill that set the stage for an incredible performance. Following the drinks break, Joseph carried on his heroics, taking out the next four wickets (Marsh, Carey, Cummins, and Starc), putting the Australian camp in disarray.
West Indies only needed to take two wickets in the second session to win, but Lyon held firm. But Alzarri Joseph struck a vital blow when he removed Lyon, who had only escaped a mishandled return catch the previous delivery. As the West Indies approached victory, Steve Smith came under scrutiny.
Smith put up a fierce fight, cutting the needed runs to just ten. But as Hazlewood faced the final two deliveries of each over, the last seconds transpired with great drama. Shamar Joseph’s genius eventually crushed Australia’s dreams as he expertly destroyed the off-stump, despite Smith’s best efforts. Smith scored 91 from 146 balls and was still not out at the other end.
The fight in the match was exciting, and Joseph surprised everyone by winning for the West Indies. The team’s combined efforts and Joseph’s exceptional performance resulted in a historic victory. In the aftermath of this exciting match, West Indies’ victory at The Gabba will go down as a monument to skill and perseverance in the face of difficulty.
Losing captain, Pat Cummins, said:
Disappointment after the loss but it was a fantastic match, a fantastic series. The way Shamar bowled was right up there, unfortunately we weren’t good enough. We were pretty confident coming in today. Think we did well yesterday to restrict them to a 216-run target, thought we had a chance. Smith was fantastic, almost dragged us over the line. It’s been brilliant, same bowling group for five Test matches in the summer is a big effort.
Yesterday it was 37 degrees and 90% humidity but the guys were still charging in, so a big effort. I think we’ve all played enough to know this game humbles you quickly, as soon as you think you’re on top of the world, it pulls you down and you start from zero, I think the West Indies played brilliantly. They played really well, 1-1 is probably a pretty fair result for the series. Good thing is there’s always another game around the corner, any away tour is going to be difficult but we’re looking forward to it (tour to New Zealand).
Winning Captain, Kraigg Brathwaite, said:
I love it (day-night Test), we won a Test match in Australia so it’s amazing. Means a lot for us, been a number of years since we won a Test match here. But for me, this is the beginning. We should keep doing this. I must say we had two words that inspired us in this Test match, Mr. Rodney Hogg said that we were pathetic and hopeless. That was our inspiration. We wanted to show the world we’re not pathetic.
And I must ask him, are these muscles big enough for him (Shows his biceps). I wanted to show the world what we’re made of. The doctor told me that Shamar could do it and I had to back him. He’s a superstar. I know he’ll do great things for the West Indies in the future. Just his belief is incredible, he told me that he won’t stop bowling till we win it. Very proud of the guys, they showed a lot of fire and heart, especially after the first Test. Very nice to see how they put in a fight, especially the batters. We can only learn from this win. I believe the more the better, that’s how we learn. I would love more Test cricket for sure.
Player of the Match & Series, Shamar Joseph (13wickets), West Indies said:
It is actually amazing for me , you know, I just want to turn this way to give a shout out to my teammates and the management staff for great words of encouragement. Having a bruised toe to bowl with, but I just go through the phase and pain, knowing that I need to do this for my team and you know for everyone in my country and the Caribbean. Came down to the crowd, to keep pushing us and actually believing us that we can bring the series to 1-1, thank you guys so much.
Where’s Dr. Byom? (Chuckles). He called me this morning and I was in my bed, then after 11, I was sleeping at 12:15 so he asked me how I was feeling, I said not well, feeling pain and all these things and he said come to the ground, I have a reason. I don’t know if it was for this reason or not but it was for a good reason, to win the Test match for your team.
A shout out to him for keeping believing in me, he knew what I am capable of. I’m really happy that he got me here and I did really well for my team once again.It was all about getting close, getting to that 5 wickets needed just like 4 more wickets.
Having Alzarri backing me, a senior player Kemar Roach, all the senior fast bowlers believed in me, they supported me a lot throughout the game even though I was emotional and I was crying but those were tears of joy, knowing that I’m doing this for my team, those were just tears of joy and happiness. It is just about believing, made a lot of sacrifice to get here, remembering what you did back then and it is just to continue from what happened in the past, so I just stick to my basics and take advice from the seniors and that worked for me well.
India
