West Indies have done it, Shamar Joseph is the hero. The Windies have pulled off an upset over Australia in the second and final Test match at The Gabba, Brisbane. The Windies have breached Australia's fortress The Gabba with a sensational win by eight runs. Just a few hours after getting cleared from a suspected stress fracture, Joseph tore the Australian batting line-up, picking up a seven-wicket haul in the final innings. The Windies have become the first team ever to defeat Australia in a Pink-ball Test match.
The match was an absolute thriller with both teams giving it their all in the Pink Day Test. The Aussies were chasing a target 216 and were on road to do it before Joseph's fiery spell turned the tables. The Windies made a comeback into the contest on the back of a bruised Joseph, who went to a hospital to take scans for his suspected toe fracture he picked on Day 3. However, he was cleared of it ahead of the fourth day of the Test match.
Joseph tore into the Australian batting line-up in the first session of the day. The Aussies were poised at 60/2 in their chase of 216 but lost six wickets in the opening session. They scored 127 runs but lost six wickets in it - all to the sensational Joseph. With wickets falling, Smith held one end up to keep the Aussies in the hunt. But he was running out of partners.
Coming in the second session, the Aussies needed 29 runs to win and had two wickets in hand and more importantly had Steve Smith in the middle. Alzarri Joseph struck first in the middle session when he got Nathan Lyon caught behind with the Aussies still 25 runs far from the total. Smith took the aggressive route, pulling and scooping the balls to fast-track the chase. They came agonisingly close but Joseph seemed to have supernatural powers as he bowled Josh Hazlewood with a fuller ball on the stumps. Hazlewood missed but Joseph and the West Indies did not. For his brilliant performance, Joseph was named the Player of the Match and also Player of the series.
West Indies batted first and scored 311 with Joshua Da Silva top-scoring with 79. The Aussies made 289/9 d in reply as Cummins declared 22 runs short of the Windies score. Having a lead of 22, West Indies scored 193, giving Australia a 216-run target. The series is 1-1 now as Australia had won the first match.
