By David Jackson
The West Indies secured a remarkable victory over
Australia, breaking a 27-year drought against
Australia in Australia. West Indies did this by
achieving a stunning eight-run win over their opponents
at the Gabba, led by an unbelievably superb bowling
performance by Shamar Joseph. Joseph ended up with
figures of 7/68, though suffering from a damaged toe.
He was helped off the field on day three after receiving
a toe-crushing delivery from a Yorker bowled by Mitchell
Starc. Joseph himself admitted, in an interview following
the match, that he wasn’t even coming to the oval
on the fourth day”. He praised Dr Byam (West Indies
team physiotherapist) who attended to his toe when
he arrived at the stadium, which enabled him
to ignore the pain and discomfort and gain
the confidence bowl on the fourth day. He
bowled 10 consecutive overs before dinner,
and came back out after dinner to claim the
last wicket by bowling Josh Hazlewood with a
superb delivery.
Australia was bowled out for 207, just eight runs short of victory which would
have given them a 2-0 series win. Instead, they
had to settle for a tied series (1-1) with the West
Indies. Shamar Joseph was not only named
player of the match but also received the
award for player of the series, having taken 13 wickets with two five-wicket hauls. He also
contributed significantly with the bat. It was
truly an awesome display of fast bowling and
a memorable maiden Test performance by
Shamar Joseph.
A new star has been born for West Indies. The
24-year old has shown enormous promise,
both with the ball as well as with the bat.
To enter the field of play that morning,
after a severe injury to his toe, and put in a
magnificent bowling performance like that, to
lead his team to victory, was breathtakingly
spectacular. He has written his name into
cricket’s history books by this stunning display
of fast bowling coupled by his exuberant
talent.
Brian Lara was full of praise for young
Joseph. He hailed him as ‘a champion’. Carl
Hopper was overwhelmed with emotion in
the ABC commentary box. Lara spoke for all
fans in the region when he stated “Shamar
Joseph has lit up West Indies cricket. It is a
great feeling to be a West Indian”. The victory
by West Indies was undoubtedly one of the
greatest upsets in the history of the sport.
Kraigg Brathwaite, the West Indies captain,
commented on the win by referring to
a comment which was made by former
Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg in which
he referred to the West Indies Test team as
‘hopeless’ and ‘pathetic’. Rodney Hogg
seemed to have been the motivation for the
West Indies, as they hunted for the record-breaking
win on Australian soil. Hogg himself
commented after the win…. claiming that he
was glad he was able to fire up a ‘fantastic’
side.
This victory by West Indies ends a winless run
against Australia of 20 Test matches dating
back to 2003. The win also marked a drought
of 17 Tests (15 losses and two draws) against
Australia in Australia going back as far as1997.
The West Indies has brought much joy and
pride to the many West Indies fans who had
been hoping, for years, for a lift like this. The
victory is a great start for the New Year, after
the disappointments of the previous year. This
young and virtually inexperienced team has
brought new vision and hope to their many
fans, not only in the region but worldwide. To
win against Australia in their own ‘backyard’
is something to be extremely proud of. There
are however some serious issues which must
be addressed. There is still much room for
improvement, particularly in the batting
department.
Nevertheless, West Indies fans will savour the
sweetness of this victory as we look forward to the
two white ball series on this present tour of Australia.
Can the ODI team emulate the superb performance
of the Test team? The odds are stacked highly against
them. Australia has selected a formidable ODI squad,
compared to the ODI squad selected for West Indies.
The West Indies ODI squad is as follows: Shai Hope (c),
Alzarri Joseph, Allick Athanaze, Teddy Bishop, Keacy
Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Ford, Justin Greaves,
Kaverm Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn
Ottley, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas and Hayden
Walsh Jr. This squad is missing key players, including
veteran allrounder Jason Holder and opener Brandon
King.
The squad therefore looks short on batting. Shai
Hope, Justin Greaves, Allick Athanaze, KeacyCarty
, and Kaverm Hodge would likely fill the top and middle
order would have to perform at their best if the team
is to be competitive against the Aussies. The bowling
will no doubt be led by Alzarri Joseph and we may
well see Romario Shepherd, Mathew Ford, and possibly
Gudakesh Motie and Hayden Walsh Jr. completing
the attack. Justice Greaves is likely to provide some
medium-paced bowling when necessary. Hoping for
the best from our guys. RallyHard!