Watch: Shamar Joseph knocks over Alex Carey with a sensational 145kph delivery

One of the biggest and best stories that have come out from the 2-match Test series between Australia and West Indies, is the story of right-arm pacer Shamar Joseph who was taking part in his debut red-ball series. On day 4 of the 2nd Pink Test in Gabba, Joseph bowled a tremendous delivery to castle the stumps of Aussie wicket-keeper Alex Carey for just 2 runs.

It seems as if Shamar Joseph has already seen it all in his debut series, from high moments to low and from injury scare to experiencing consecutive five-wicket hauls. His first ball of international cricket during the 1st Test in Adelaide ended up handing him the wicket of Australia’s new Test opener Steve Smith for just 12 runs.

SHAMAR JOSEPH #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/NTnUQ8POjO

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 28, 2024

Joseph then went on to claim another 4 wickets and completed a 2nd innings five-for on debut. He also led to the removals of players like Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Mitchell Starc, and Nathan Lyon. His performance became a major talking point of the series and it also highlighted the fact that, if preserved carefully then Test cricket in the modern era has a bright future.

The West Indies came for the tour without a single series win against Australia since the 1992/93 series. They were also without senior players like Jason Holder and Kyle Mayers both of whom chose to snub the series to feature in the International League T20 and SA20 respectively.

Their absence not only reduced West Indies’ chances of claiming a first Test series win over the Aussies but also weakened their chances of landing a first Test match win against the opposition since the 2005/06 series.

West Indies Clinch First Ever Test Win Against Australia Since 2005/06 On The Back Of Shamar Joseph’s 7-Wicket Haul

Although the West Indies lost the 1st Test by a deficit of 10 wickets in Adelaide, they returned strongly in the 2nd Test. So much so that they have actually written history on Australian soil, winning a first-ever Test against Australia since 2005 and they chose a historic venue to do so as well – the Gabba.

It is the same venue where Rishabh Pant snatched the victory from the hands of Australia back in January 2021 during the Border-Gavaskar trophy. Maybe Shamar Joseph was watching that Test match on repeat and might have taken inspiration from Pant.

Joseph’s exploit and match-winning performance is going to be remembered for a very long time. After completing his successive five-for, the 24-year-old went on to claim 2 more including the one of Josh Hazlewood which proved to be the match-winning final wicket.

Steve Smith who was inching close towards his first century as Test opener was reduced to tears after seeing Shamar Joseph castling the stumps before running all over the outfield of Gabba in sheer joy along with his teammates. In only his 2nd Test appearance, Joseph has registered career-best figures of 7/68 in 11.5 overs but the most important thing is the fact that he proved to be the difference maker.

During West Indies’ 2nd innings, Joseph endured a painful blow on his toes by Mitchell Starc’s toe-crushing yorker which saw him getting retired hurt. But who would have thought, Shamar Joseph would come back and script such a famous Gabba win, win the player of the match award as well as player of the series?