West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite hit back at Rodney Hogg for calling his team “pathetic and hopeless.”
Injured pace bowler Shamar Joseph produced a stunning spell as the West Indies pulled off a remarkable eight-run win over Australia in the second Test at the Gabba in Brisbane on Sunday. Joseph braved a toe injury and grabbed 7-68 as the young fast bowler inspired the West Indies to its first win in Australia in 27 years in a gripping conclusion to the day-night test.
After great win West Indies captain Kraigg Brathwaite hit back at Rodney Hogg for calling his team “pathetic and hopeless.”
“That was our inspiration. We wanted to show the world we’re not pathetic. And I must ask him, are these muscles big enough for him (Shows his biceps)? I wanted to show the world what we’re made of,” Brathwaite said after West Indies historic eight-run win over Australia at the Gabba.
Brathwaite has, however, warned his side against complacency. “Means a lot for us, been a number of years since we won a Test match here. But for me, this is the beginning. We should keep doing this,” the skipper said.
Shamar Joseph continued his rich form in this game despite not being 100%. He had to retire hurt on Day Three after he was struck on the toe by Mitchell Starc. However, the fast bowler, who picked up his maiden fifer in the first Test in Adelaide, returned to bowl nearly 12 unchanged overs, finishing with 7 for 68.
Brathwaite said he knew Joseph would be fit to bowl only an hour before today’s play. “The doctor told me that Shamar could do it, and I had to back him,” said Brathwaite, who has led West Indies to their first Test win in Australia since 1997.
“He’s a superstar. I know he’ll do great things for the West Indies in the future. Just his belief is incredible, he told me that he won’t stop bowling till we win it.”
Speaking of his performance, Joseph, who was adjudged the player of the match and the series, said, “It is amazing for me; I want to give a shout-out to my teammates and the management. I wanted to do it for my country and my team, thanks to the crowd for their support.”
“He [Doctor) called me this morning, I was in my bed. I said [to] him I am not well, I am in a lot of pain and he told me to come to the ground and he believed I could do it. I did really well for my team. It was all about getting close, it is all about support. It was tears of joy that I won it for my team, those were tears of joy and happiness.”
Steven Smith carried his bat through with an unbeaten 91, and Australia looked comfortable at 113 for 2 before Cameron Green was dismissed for 42. However, the former skipper did not get any substantial support from the other end, with just over 100 to get.
Australia captain Pat Cummins expressed disappointment but said he was proud of the way his players performed.
“Disappointment after the loss, but it was a fantastic match, a fantastic series. The way Shamar bowled was right up there, unfortunately, we weren’t good enough,” Cummins said.
“We were pretty confident coming in today. Think we did well yesterday to restrict them to a 216-run target, thought we had a chance. Smith was fantastic, almost dragged us over the line. It’s been brilliant, same bowling group for five Test matches in the summer is a big effort. Yesterday, it was 37 degrees and 90% humidity, but the guys were still charging in, so a big effort.”
After a drawn Test series, the focus will now shift to the One-Day Internationals (ODI) and T20 Internationals (T20I), that will get underway from Friday (February 2).