Shamar Joseph took seven wickets as Australia imploded at the Gabba, handing the West Indies their first Test victory in Australia in 27 years, prevailing by eight runs in an incredible climax.
Chasing 216 to complete a 2-0 series triumph, the hosts were cruising at 2-113 in the opening session of the fourth day on Sunday in front of only 3,162 fans in Brisbane.
Second-gamer Shamar Joseph (7-68) then ripped the Test open, taking six wickets in an astonishing 10-over performance despite having his toe shattered by a Mitchell Starc yorker the previous night.
Steve Smith (91 not out) carried his bat in his second Test as an opener, launching an audacious rescue operation. But Joseph would not be denied, sending Josh Hazlewood’s stumps flying for his seventh wicket and sprinting to the boundary in dramatic scenes as the series was tied 1-1.
Peaking at roughly 150km/h, Joseph soon found life with an old pink ball that had previously caused Australia’s batters some trouble. He bowled Cameron Green (42) and Travis Head with consecutive deliveries to start the collapse.
Head’s golden duck was his third in a row in Tests at the Gabba, making him only the seventh Australian to record a king pair. Smith survived the hat-trick ball, but Mitchell Marsh (10) did not last long, and Alex Carey (two) became Joseph’s fourth victim in a frenzied six-over stretch that cost 45 runs.
Joseph wasn’t finished, though, as Starc (21 off 14) became his fifth scalp in seven overs, capping a brief cameo by the Australian quick that included four boundaries.
Australia still needed 45 runs to win as skipper Pat Cummins came to the crease 10 minutes before the tea break, having scored an unbroken career-best 64 in the first innings before declaring 22 runs short of the West Indies’ first-innings 311. He was caught behind with only three runs, with Nathan Lyon surviving till the interval, with Australia still needing 29 to win and complete a 5-0 summer sweep.
Lyon fell in the first over after the restart, but Smith continued to counter-attack, hitting a magnificent six as the target approached single digits. However, he exposed Hazlewood far too much, as Joseph clattered the stumps once more to cap a spectacular individual performance.
Joseph claimed he didn’t think he’d be able to make it to the pitch after being forced to retire injured on Saturday night, until he spoke with the team doctor. “He did something to my toe, I don’t know what he did,” he stated. “I believe we’ve won the series, even though it’s 1-1. I already sobbed after taking five wickets… I’m not that fatigued; I told my captain today that I’d bowl till the last wicket fell.
Brian Lara referred to him as “a champion,” and fellow West Indies veteran Carl Hooper sobbed in the ABC commentary box. “Shamar Joseph has lighted up West Indian cricket. “It’s a wonderful feeling to be a West Indian,” Lara stated later.
“What a champion. “He wasn’t even on the scene 18 months ago,” Lara told Fox Cricket.
The Guyana man was limping around the pitch as his toe injury began to take its toll, but he was undeterred. After delivering 10 overs straight before tea, Joseph returned after the break and delivered the fatal blow, bowled Josh Hazlewood with a brilliant delivery.
