By Neto Baptiste
Former West Indies fast bowler Sir Andy Roberts and former captain and legendary batsman, Sir Viv Richards, are congratulating the regional men’s squad on their inspiring eight-run victory over Australia in Brisbane on Sunday.
Fast bowler Shamar Joseph, playing with an injured toe, produced an astounding seven-wicket haul to lead West Indies to the noted victory, their first in Test in Australia since 1997.
Sir Andy, who claimed a total of 202 wickets in 47 Tests and another 87 in 56 ODI matches, reminded that bowlers win matches while noting the performance of young Shamar Joseph.
“I think they bowled very well and like I always say, bowlers win matches and fast bowling is the key to our success. It has always been, and even when we had the great Lance Gibbs, we had Wes Hall and Charlie Griffith and Garfield Sobers.”
“The young man has a lot of potential and his pace seems to be developing during the second innings and even more so than in Adelaide. I hope he continues to work hard because from what I hear, he is a hard worker. He trains hard, which is what I always say that if you don’t train hard you won’t be able to withstand the rigors of fast bowling,” he said.
Joseph, who had figures of one for 56 and seven for 68 in the match, took total of 13 wickets during the two Tests and was awarded the Richie Benaud Medal as Player of the Series.
Sir Viv, who amassed 8540 runs in 121 Tests and another 6721 in 187 ODI matches, commended Joseph for both his bravery and his match-winning performance.
“The individual, knowing that his toe is all messed-up is what you call ‘brave-heart stuff’ and this is what competing is all about. He was just special and apparently, he wanted to be out there and that’s the most important thing, and in the end, the only way you’re going to get success is ‘fi you out on the field.’ There are a lot of folks who never gave us a chance after what went on in the very first Test match, but we have to big them up. I am feeling so delighted in a sense that even though we haven’t won in a long time, this victory in itself, it says something for us to start believing that at some point we have to get better,” he said.
The final day’s play saw Steven Smith standing as the lone barrier against Joseph’s onslaught. Smith’s unbeaten 91, however, wasn’t enough to save Australia as Joseph dismissed key batters in quick succession, setting up an intense and nail-biting finish.
