A little bit of madness, a little bit of mayhem, and a whole load of magic. Shamar Joseph was undoubtedly the man of the hour as the menacing pacer rattled through the Australian batting ranks and delivered the West Indies a monumental win in the second Test at the feared Gabba in Brisbane on Sunday.
The 24-year-old, hailing from Guyana, ended the second Test with an 8-wicket match haul, picking up 7 in Australia’s second essay. He pocketed a total of 14 wickets in 2 games, being the second-highest wicket-taker in the 2-match series.
The Guyanese pacer displayed true grit and spirit to lift the Carribean ranks to glory, following an injury scare the previous night when he was forced to retire hurt after being hit on the toe by a Mitchell Starc yorker, and requiring scans for the same.
In fact, Joseph had to take the field on the final day of the Test wearing teammate Zachary McCaskie’s jersey after covering his name with a tape, as he had not carried his whites to the ground due to being unclear about whether he would get to join his teammates back on the field.
His performance left the cricketing masses in pure shock and awe and one amongst those who relished the youngster’s display was none other than former Australia skipper Steve Waugh.
The 1999 World Cup-winning skipper took to social media to shower praise on the spirited West Indian pacer and named him as the potential saviour of Test cricket.
A post shared by Steve Waugh (@stevewaugh)
“There’s nothing like Test cricket and this man may be the saviour in the purest form of the game.
“Cinderella stories are rare in sport but this was truly epic from a young man who has single-handedly reignited the passion of cricket followers in the Caribbean and all over the world. Many congratulations,” wrote Waugh on his Instagram.
Reeling 1-0 in the series after losing the Adelaide Test, the Caribbean tourists made a spirited comeback to rob the Aussies in their own backyard. Chasing 216, Australia were bundled out for 207 as Shamar Joseph, the rookie speedster, wreaked havoc in Brisbane and clinched what would go down as a historic victory for the West Indies side.
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