Victory Down Under After 27 Years: West Indies Register 1st Test Win in Australia Since 1997

After waiting for 27 long years, the West Indies have finally registered a Test victory Down Under. On Sunday, the Kraigg Brathwaite-led side defeated Australia by a close margin of 8 runs at the Gabba, Brisbane to level the 2-match series 1-1. Shamar Joseph, playing his maiden Test series, ended up picking up 7 wickets on the penultimate day of the final fixture of the series to help the West Indies script history on Australian soil.

Australia was 29 runs away from winning the day-night test and completing a clean sweep of its test summer, but an inspired spell by Shamar Joseph has the West Indies on the brink of its first win Down Under in 27 years in a dramatic fourth day. Joseph needed scans after retiring hurt on Saturday night after getting hit on the toe by a Mitchell Starc Yorker. But he returned the next day to cause a massive upset with a 7-wicket haul, giving the West Indies their first win in Australia since 1997.

Follow Live: IND vs ENG 1st Test Day 4

Australia began the fourth day’s play at 60-2, chasing 216 for victory and with Steve Smith and Cameron Green at the crease, they were overwhelming favourites. Opening bowlers Kemar Roach and Alzarri Joseph were not particularly threatening, so 45 minutes in captain Kraigg Brathwaite threw the ball to Joseph, with almost immediate results.

Although proving expensive, Joseph’s extra pace caused trouble for all the batters and the more wickets he took, the more confident the West Indies became. He bowled Green and Travis Head with consecutive balls, then dismissed Mitchell Marsh, Mitchell Starc, Alex Carey and Pat Cummins in an extended first session.

He capped off a remarkable performance when he clean-bowled Josh Hazlewood to end the match.

“I was just thinking of the basics, get it at the top of off,” Joseph said. “I was just trying to find my rhythm and that was important for me.”

Through all the carnage, Smith stood firm for the Australians, answering his critics with a superb innings of 91, but it was in vain as the underdogs stunned the world Test champions.