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by Mick the Ram
An Australia side sitting at the top of the standings for test playing nations, suffered a shock defeat on Sunday 28 January when the West Indies pulled off a thrilling 8-run victory at the Gabba, Brisbane.
In doing so they secured their first test win on Australian soil since an inspired Curtley Ambrose spell did the same, way back in February 1997.
This time it was Shamar Joseph – the 24-year-old from Guyana playing in only his second test – who tore through the hosts batting and finished with outstanding figures of 7-68 and unsurprisingly took the Player of the Match award.
Australia’s Steve Smith had done his best to guide his team to their target of 216, but was left stranded on 91 not out when Joseph bowled Josh Hazlewood, to spark wild celebrations in the West Indies camp.
The young fast bowler’s performance was made even more impressive given the fact that the previous day he was helped from the field after his toe was smashed from a delivery by Mitchell Starc and wasn’t expected to play any further part in the game.
There must have been something in the cricketing air, as nearly 10,000 km away in Hyderabad, there was an equally stunning result, with England holding on for a totally unexpected win over India and inflicting only the fourth defeat on their hosts in 47 home matches.
3 Decades without victory
It was 27 years ago when West Indies legend Curtly Ambrose took 7/93 in helping his side thrash Australia by 10 wickets and nobody gave this inexperienced squad a hope coming into the game, especially after being beaten inside three days just last week in Adelaide, in the first test.
Joseph opens up an end
Resuming on 60/2 the hosts made steady progress, until Joseph broke the crucial partnership between Cameron Green and Steve Smith. He managed to get through Green’s defences sending his off-stump cart-wheeling, as he approached his half-century.
When Travis Head was out to the very next ball, suddenly there was real belief in the visitors body language. Wickets began to tumble at regular intervals, but Smith remained as an impenetrable object at one end.
Smith on the offensive
Nevertheless, when Joseph got rid of Aussie skipper Pat Cummins there was an end free to attack, so when the ninth wicket fell it was signal for Smith to try and get his side over the line single-handedly.
He began going through his repertoire of shots and probably would have succeeded, but Hazelwood was unable to keep out a beautiful delivery by Joseph to be last man out. That prompted the bowler to set off on a sprint to the boundary, followed by his team mates who eventually caught him up and mobbed him, amid delirious celebrations.
Joseph’s determination gets him through
Joseph explained afterwards that at one point he wasn’t even planning on turning up at the ground, after his toe was smashed from a Starc yorker, at the end of the previous day.
Having thanked his teammates, physios and team doctor for getting him on the pitch, he admitted crying when securing his five-wicket haul, and said: “I’m so happy now, I’m not even tired. Kraigg (Brathwaite) kept coming up and asking if I was alright, but I said I’m not coming off. I would have kept bowling, I would keep going until we won.”
When asked how his toe was holding up he simply responded by saying: “My toe… I’m OK.” He called the victory a very important win and triumphantly declared: “It’s just the beginning for West Indies cricket.”
Opposition skipper shows great respect in defeat
Beaten Australian captain Pat Cummins was generous in his praise for the opposition. He said that while the loss hurt he could see the benefit it would have on cricket in the West Indies.
“It hurts, but they outplayed us. They were fantastic, they’ve created a couple of new superstars, so as a cricket fan, as a Test match cricket fan, there’s a part of me that’s happy.”
England mirror West Indies
Shortly afterwards, England produced their own “against the odds” win by claiming victory over India, in their own backyard.
They secured a 28-run victory in another heart-stopping finish, at the first of a five-test series in Hyderabad. They were thankful to a wonderful innings of 196 by Ollie Pope and a startling 7-62 from debutant spinner Tom Hartley, who earlier in the match had seen his very first ball in test cricket launched for six.
Just like the West Indies, England had arrived with a depleted squad and had looked to be heading for a comprehensive defeat when trailing by 190 on first innings and knowing that India had never before lost a home Test when taking a lead in excess of 100.
It seems that the cricketing gods favoured the underdogs this weekend.
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