NEW DELHI:
Shamar Joseph
, who bowled the West Indies to their first
Test victory
in
Australia
in 27 years, received high acclaim from the legendary
Steve Waugh
, who described him as a'saviour in the purest sense of the game'.
At the
Gabba
in Brisbane, a longtime stronghold of the hosts, the 24-year-old
Joseph
, who made his debut in the opening Test of the two-match series, ripped through Australia with a spell of 11.5-0-68-7 to lead the Windies to an exhilarating eight-run victory.
Joseph, who was a security guard not too long ago, braved a toe injury to give his team a
historic victory
, making the effort even more remarkable.
"There is nothing like Test cricket and this man may be the saviour in the purest form of the game, (sic)" Waugh wrote on Instagram while sharing a picture of Joseph.
"Cinderella stories are rare in sport but this was truly epic from a young man who has single-handedly reignited the passion of cricket followers in the Caribbean and all over the world," added one of Australia's most successful captains.
In fact, while he was cleared of having not suffered a fracture to his toe after copping a blow from a
Mitchell Starc
, Joseph had to take the field on the final day of the Test wearing teammate Zachary McCaskie's jersey after covering his name with a tape.
Unclear of his participation, Joseph had not carried his whites to the ground.
Meanwhile, former West Indies bowler and renowned commentator
Ian Bishop
termed the victory as the 'most remarkable Test win' yet.
"What a remarkable moment for Shamar Joseph and West Indies cricket. The most remarkable Test win that I can put my mind on, given the context, (sic)" he wrote on X.
(With PTI inputs)
English (US) ·