Shamar Joseph could not carry on batting due to an injury sustained from a Stark yorker. However, the 24 year old inspired his side to a famous victory with an epic performance. The Guyanese’s seven wicket haul meant Australia would finish nine runs short from the target despite the solo performance from Steve Smith. This victory was the first time Australia would lose to the West Indies in 26 years. The entertaining match produced a remarkable Cinderella story where an unknown Guyanese boy became the unlikely hero of a victory against the world champions.
Team Lineups
The Australian playing XI remained unchanged despite the spread of COVID in their camp. Coach Andrew McDonald and all-rounder Cameron Green tested positive for Covid on Wednesday. Green was on the team sheet however, much to the bewilderment of cricket fans.
The all-rounder from New South Wales stood apart from the rest of the team during the national anthem and fielded on his usual gully position. He even bowled in the second session. Travis Head also tested positive earlier this week. But the centurion from the first test recovered in time to make the team. Usman Khawaja took a blow to the head which forced him to retire in the first match. Two fantastic catches at the first slip indicated he was fit enough. Steve Smith will open the batting again, that means Cameron Green will be given a slot at no. 4.
West Indies made one change to the team that was comprehensively beaten by the hosts in Adelaide. 24 year old Guyanan off spinner Kevin Sinclair came to the squad in the place of left-arm orthodox bowler Gudakesh Motie. The young sensation Shamar Joseph played his second test after shining in his debut match in Adelaide. Kraigg Brathwaite leads a young side full of wonderful talents. Shamar Joseph was hurt by a yorker from Mitchell Starc and the young pace bowler could not bowl on the third day.
Australia
1. Usman Khawaja 2. Steve Smith 3. Marnus Labuschagne 4. Cameron Green 5. Travis Head 6. Mitchell Marsh 7. Alex Carey (WK) 8. Mitchell Starc 9. Pat Cummins (Cap.) 10. Nathan Lyon 11. Josh Hazlewood
West Indies
1. Kraigg Brathwaite (Cap.) 2. Tagenarine Chanderpaul 3. Kirk McKenzie 4. Alick Athanaze 5. Kavem Hodge 6. Justin Greaves 7. Joshua Da Silva (WK) 8. Kevin Sinclair 9. Alzarri Joseph 10. Shamar Joseph 11. Kemar Roach
West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite won the toss and elected to bat first. The pitch looked green with hints of grass sprinkled all around it. Traditionally, the Gabba pitch offers pace and bounce for the quick bowlers. But once the ball gets softer, it comes into the bat nicely. The key to playing on a wicket like this is seeing off the early spell of pace bowling. The pacers may get some purchase off the wicket in the first session.
The batsmen with patience is sure to get rewarded. The average first innings score at this venue is 230 over the last 20 matches. Brathwaite may have taken the decision to bat first given the history of this ground. At the Gabba, only 27% of the matches have been won by the team batting first. But it would surely take something special to beat the World Cup champions in their own backyard.
The third day pitch looked quite flat compared with the previous two days. The ball was not zipping and the batsmen were getting enough time to put their shots away. The new ball might raise a few doubts on the batsman’s minds. But once it gets softer, it will be a lot easier to play strokes all around the ground.
The pitch on the fifth day of the Test match made life tougher for the batsmen. The cracks in the surface meant there was uneven bounce on the pitch. The spinners could benefit from the hint of turn. The batsmen would have to wait till the ball softened to play strokes on a regular basis. Steve Smith’s experience playing on different surfaces throughout the world made Australia favorites for this run chase.
Fixture
This is the 120th time in Test matches that these two teams are facing each other. The Australians clearly have the upper hand with 61 wins to West Indies’ 32. 25 of the matches ended in a draw. These two nations were involved in an action packed tie match six decades earlier. That game was also played in Brisbane, in the 1960-61 season.
On Australian soil, the hosts are usually the dominant force with the hosts winning 40 matches to the West Indies’ 18. The West Indies were whitewashed in the last test series involving these two teams, back in the 2022-23 season. The West Indies have failed to manage a single victory in the land down under since the turn of the century. The last time they achieved this feat was back in 1996-97.
| Venue | The second and final Test match between Australia and West Indies was played at the iconic Gabba in Brisbane. |
| Date | The game started on Saturday, 28th January, 2024 at 10:00 a.m. IST. |
Captaincy & Tactics
Kraigg Brathwaite had two unsavoury choices before him. To lose this Test match after fighting for so long or bring the injured Shamar Joseph to the attack. The West Indian opted for the second one and this decision proved to be a masterstroke for his side. Shamar Jospeh bowled for 12 overs straight and claimed an incredible victory from the most unlikely of circumstances.
There will be endless debate about the decision of declaring early by Patrick Cummins. Cummins was batting well at the of 64 when Nathan Lyon got out in the first innings of the Australians. The West Indies first innings score was a further 22 runs away.
Cummins decided to declare the innings as to give his quick bowlers a chance to bowl under the lights. In a close match like this, this type of decision may come back to haunt a captain. The same thing happened with Ben Stokes during the first Ashes Test.
Steve Smith broke out of his shell and started asserting his authority over the game. The former captain of Australia added innovative touches to his game to unsettle the Windies bowlers. There was no room for error as he was quickly running out of partners. But 88% overall control in the innings is a testament to the batsman’s versatile ability.
The West Indian pacers bowled in a tight line, hardly offering anything lose for the batters to free their arms. Kemar Roach was attacking the stumps and his understudy Alzarri Joseph was on the shorter side. These two bowlers paved the way for the young Shamar Joseph to apply pressure on the Aussie batters.
The Aussie batters changed their approach to a defensive one in the face of a Windies onslaught. The West Indian bowlers were the ones with less game experience and skill. But this approach from the Australians put them on the backfoot and eventually took the game away from them.
Batting Analysis
Steve Smith scored the first half as a Test opener in this Test. Despite his lone battle, the Australians came out eight runs short of the target. Smith has been struggling for form over the last few Tests. But on this occasion, the 34 year old was back to his vintage self. He looked determined and was unnerved while facing a fiery spell from the eventual matchwinner Shamar Joseph. Smith played some shots that was more reminiscent of T20 cricket. His scoop shot which brought six runs was a mark of a man oozing with confidence.
The play resumed with the Australian score at 60 for 2, they needed a further 156 runs to claim the victory. Rather than relying on aggressive shots, Smith opted to rotate the strike on a regular basis. After starting shakily on day three, Cameron Green finally got some composure going in his innings. The pair frustrated the West Indians and Kraigg Brathwaite had to call upon his bruised pacer Shamar Joseph. Cameron Green was pinned to the crease and the all-rounder focused on survival rather than launching a counter attack.
Australia seemed to be in control as Cameron Green and Steve Smith played confidently to reduce the target gradually. Then Shamar Joseph entered the fray and removed Green and Travis Head in consecutive balls. Travis Head had the misfortune of scoring a king pair for the first time in his career. This was the first time an Aussie batter got dismissed for golden ducks in both innings in 19. Adam Gilchrist was the last batsman to suffer this fate.
Cameron Green was cautious in approach and scored only 13 runs from the first 54 balls that he faced. Then he utilised a stray delivery from Kemar Roach. He flicked the ball off his pada to score a rare boundary.
Smith was looking comfortable and hardly made an error of judgement. The right hander was eventually tested with a short pitch delivery from Alzarri Joseph, but the ball went agonisingly over the third slip fielder.
Starc was unfazed by the barrage of short balls aimed at him. The left hander tried to transfer the balance of power by playing some shots. He initially succeeded but soon a mistimed pull shot brought his demise.
Bowling Analysis
Shamar Joseph looked unstoppable on the tame Gabba wicket. He was regularly clocking at 145 to 150 kph and extracting extra bounce off the surface. He was willing to try different things, taking a few risks along the way. He was expensive, but the West Indies wouldn’t care one bit. His brilliant bowling spell brought another victory after 26 long years.
Cameron Green was playing defensive shots throughout his innings. The all-rounder had to curb his natural stroke making tendency and chose to survive. Shamar Joseph came and squared him up with a short delivery. The next ball was a rearing delivery that nipped back towards him. It hit Green on the elbow and ricocheted to the stumps. Travis Head was up next, the left hander was in danger of a third golden duck in six innings. Joseph welcomed him with a dazzling yorker, a ball too good for anyone facing their first delivery under pressure.
Head was clean bowled for the first pair of his career. Alex Carey came and somehow thwarted the hattrick. But the wicket keeper batsman soon joined the procession after another immaculate yorker by Joseph. Despite carrying an injury, Joseph was given a straight 12 over spell before and after the dinner interval. Mitchell Starc returned to the pavilion after a fighting 21. There was no rearguard action by Patrick Cummins on this occasion, the Aussie skipper became the sixth victim of Shamar Joseph. Nathan Lyon was dismissed by a rearing delivery from Alzarri Joseph.
The Australians needed a further 25 runs when Josh Hazlewood came out as the last batsman. The gravity of the situation did not seem to concern Steve Smith, he was willing to take the attack to the bowlers. On the fourth delivery of Shamar Joseph’s 12th over, Smith gave the strike to the no.11 batter Hazlewood. Hazlewood was not able to repay the faith shown in him. A blistering yorker rattled the stumps and the game was finally over. The delivery ensued a sprinting celebration from Shamar Joseph who was the chief orchestrator of this epic win.
Fielding Analysis
The Windies fielding has been brilliant throughout the match so far. Trevor Sinclair brought two moments of magic with brilliant catches in both innings. They looked hungry and were quick across the ground. Alzarri Joseph made a rare mistake in the field, failing to hold on to a chance given by Nathan Lyon. Joseph pitched the ball on a fuller length prompting Lyon to drive. The off spinner obliged but Joseph was unable to grab a tough chance. I did not prove to be costly as Joseph picked up Lyon in the next delivery, a faint tickle down the leg side was gleefully accepted by wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva.
The Australian fielding on the other hand left a lot to be desired. The ever brilliantly Steve Smith missed two opportunities in the first innings. Travis Head produced a moment of sheer brilliance when ran Justin Greaves out of his crease. The Australians would feel the necessity of improving a lot in the upcoming days with the 2024 T20 World Cup knocking at the door.
Key Performances
Shamar Joseph was the main man for the West Indies by picking up seven wickets in the second innings. The right arm pacer ended the innings with seven for 68, each of his wickets came on the fourth day. Joseph conceded runs at a rate of 5.75, a stat that would bear no significance to the West Indian camp. He was greatly assisted by his senior colleague Alzarri Joseph who claimed two scalps for 62 runs. Justin Greaves was the only other bowler who were among the wickets.
Steve Smith looked to finally get a grip over the opening position. The modern day Australian great became the first from his country to carry the bat after David Warner did the same in 2015. Smith remained unbeaten at 91, but ran out of partners.
Smith hit 9 fours and a six to keep the Aussie hopes alive till the end. Cameron Green looked shaky, but his 41 run innings was important in the context of the chase. Mitchell Starc tried his best. But his 21 run innings was never enough to send Australia close to the target.
Turning Point
The turning point of the game came on the fifth delivery of the 41st over. Mitchell Starc was batting in a belligerent mood, launching a late counter attack on the Windies bowlers. The left hander raced to 21 with Steve Smith providing support from the other end. Shamar Jospeh charged in and bowled a delivery angling towards Starc.
Starc tried to pull this towards midwicket but he miscued with the timing. The ball balloned towards the cover point region and Trevor Sinclair was stationed at that position. The off spinner pouched the ball safely to bring Joseph his second fifer in two Tests. This was the ultimate nail in the Australian coffin who eventually lost the game by a eight runs margin.
Match Result
West Indies secured their first victory on Aussie soil in 26 years. The men from Caribbean won the nail-biting Test match to secure a series draw against the world champions.
Man of the Match
Shamar Josheph predictably won the man of the match award for his epic performance despite playing through an injury. The Gunayan pacer claimed eight wickets for 124 runs in this epic Gabba Test match.
Man of the Series
For his 13 wickets at an average of 17.30, Shamar Joseph won the player of the series award. The pace bowler claimed two five wicket hauls throughout the series.
Brief Scorecard
| West Indies First Innings: 311/10 (108 overs) | Australia 1st Innings: 289/9 (declared) (53 overs) | West Indies 2nd Innings: 193/10 (72.3 overs) | Australia 2nd Innings: 207/10 (50.5 overs) |
| Joshua Da Silva 79 (157) | Usman Khawaja 75 (131) | Kirk McKenzie 41 (50) | Steve Smith 91* (146) |
| Kavem Hodge 71 (194) | Alex Carey 65 (49) | Alick Athanaze 35 (72) | Cameron Green 42 (73) |
| Mitchell Starc 4/82 (24 overs) | Alzarri Joseph 4/84 (14 overs) | Josh Hazlewood 3/23 (14 overs) | Shamar Joseph 7/68 (11.5 overs) |
| Josh Hazlewood 2/38 (20 overs) | Kemar Roach 3/47 (11 overs) | Nathan Lyon 3/42 (22 overs) | Alzarri Joseph 2/62 (17 overs) |
Day Highlights
Day Wrap-Up
It was the final Test of an exciting Aussie summer and it delivered an astonishing result. The World champions were vanquished at their own backyard for the first time since January 2021. Shamar Joseph somehow conjured up the strength to carry on bowling at a rapid pace and dismantled the Austrlian batting lineup single handedly. The Australians were not in their finest shape with games coming thick and fast for them since the South Africa tour back in October. The series ended in a draw, stalemate that would feel like a remarkable victory for the cricket lovers from the Caribbeans.
