How Joseph overcame pain to become West Indies hero

Shamar Joseph was so resigned to the fact he wasn't going to bowl on day four that he didn't even bring his playing kit to the Gabba.

But less than six hours later, not only had Joseph taken the field, but he single-handedly won the second NRMA Insurance Test match for West Indies.

The 24-year-old, still hampered by the injured toe that was smashed by a Mitch Starc yorker the night before, was the hero for the Windies' first win in Australia in 27 years.

His seven-wicket haul, which came from an unchanged 11.5 overs either side of the dinner break, included a remarkable 16-ball stretch where he took four wickets for 10 runs.

Fittingly, Joseph was also responsible for the winning moment.

The right-armer knocked Josh Hazlewood's off stump out of the ground and immediately set off in an arcing celebratory run, finishing in front of the delighted Windies bench and mobbed by teammates.

Rather poetically, it was the same bail at the same end of the ground that two days earlier had failed to drop with Alex Carey on strike, that would have left Australia reeling at 6-72 in the first innings.

And the wild celebrations were just a blur to the new pace ace.

"I don't remember anything," Joseph told reporters after play.

"I can remember that I ran all the way to the boundary and all of my teammates were behind me.

"I can't remember anything (else) to be fair, although I know that I'm really happy and I'm really proud of the team and the captain."

When play began at 2pm, Joseph didn’t take the field with the rest of his teammates, despite completing the full warm up.

He'd been given painkillers and was pacing the boundary's edge.

But the reason he missing from the action wasn't injury-related, it was wardrobe-related.

"This morning I wasn't expecting to play, so all that I came with was my training kit," Joseph said.

"Then the skipper (Brathwaite) came to me this morning and said, 'You're starting this morning.'

"I said, 'What?' I didn't even come with any clothes!

"I don't know if I want to share this, but I was in the dressing rooms with (just) my shoes on, boxers and hat, waiting for my clothes to come because I knew my skipper needed me out there."

When Joseph's No.70 shirt arrived, he was all set to bowl.

Forty minutes of play had passed, and Australia were yet to lose a wicket.

Joseph however, changed the game.

He got one to rise off a length to Cameron Green, that ricocheted off the allrounder's elbow and onto the stumps. The following ball, he consigned Travis Head to a king pair with a searing yorker from around the wicket.

"Even though I have the pain I will work with it," Joseph told Fox Cricket at the break.

Two overs later he had Mitch Marsh, caught on the juggle in the cordon, before he made a mess of Alex Carey's stumps.

It was irresistible bowling from Joseph.

In a match where three-over spells for fast bowlers were standard, Joseph continued to tear in, bowling 10 overs on the trot heading into dinner, despite the pain in his toe. A skied Starc pull shot brought his fifth wicket. He kissed the turf and raised the ball.

As his spell lengthened, his impairment became more obvious in the field with each passing over.

But if anything, he began bowling faster.

With the second ball of his eighth over, he unleashed a delivery at 149.6kph, the quickest of any player in the match. And on the following delivery he had Cummins edging the ball through to wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva for his sixth wicket. 

At 4:23pm, when he led the West Indies off the field following the first session, he was moving barely faster than a crawl.

As the sides broke for dinner, teammate Kavem Hodge could see Joseph's toe was hampering him.

"Whatever they did to it, I don’t know, but it's starting to wear off," Hodge told Fox Cricket.

"Whatever secret juice they gave him before the break, hopefully he gets some more."  

Joseph restarted after the break with the same vigour and impetus that he brought before it. Steve Smith, who finished 91 not out, took a single with the fourth ball of the 51st over.

The speedster had two balls at No.11 Hazlewood. He only needed one.

"It was pure joy," he said. "To do this in front of the great ones, it's amazing."

Joseph was referring to the West Indies legends who witnessed the eight-run win, including Brian Lara, Ian Bishop and Carl Hooper.

His stirring performance is going to attract the owners of the world's big T20 franchises – he already has a deal to play in the lucrative ILT20 in the UAE - but the man from Baracara says he is committed to the maroon cap.

"It's my dream to play Test cricket for West Indies.

"There will be times when T20s might come around … (but) I will say this, I will always be available to play Test cricket for West Indies, no matter how much money comes towards me.

"I will always be here to play Test cricket." 

Lara, who had watched Joseph complete his press conference, couldn't help but smile and applaud.

Shamar Joseph's day four in Brisbane

12:00pm: Arrives at Gabba without playing kit, intends to support teammates

 

12:30pm: Kraigg Brathwaite tells him he needs him playing

 

1:10pm: Warms up with teammates

 

2:00pm: Watches teammates start the day without him as he waits for his kit

 

2:15pm: Comes onto the field, wearing Zachary McCaskie's shirt

 

2:31pm: Joseph switches into his No.70 shirt and gives back McCaskie's top

 

2:40pm: Comes onto bowl, concedes 10 in his first over

 

2:54pm: Bowls Cameron Green

 

2:57pm: Bowls Travis Head

 

3:16pm: Has Mitch Marsh caught at slip

 

3:25pm: Bowls Alex Carey

 

3:51pm: Has Mitch Starc caught at cover

 

4:00pm: Has Pat Cummins caught behind

 

4:23pm: Leads West Indies off the field for the dinner break, clearly hampered by his toe

 

5:00pm: Signs autographs as the West Indies return from the dinner break

 

5:22pm: Knocks over Josh Hazlewood's off stump, wins the match for West Indies

NRMA Insurance Test series v West Indies

First Test: Australia won by 10 wickets

Second Test: West Indies won by eight runs

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc

West Indies Test squad: Kraigg Brathwaite (c), Alzarri Joseph (vc), Tagenarine Chanderpaul, Kirk McKenzie, Alick Athanaze, Kavem Hodge, Justin Greaves, Joshua Da Silva, Akeem Jordan, Gudakesh Motie, Kemar Roach, Kevin Sinclair, Tevin Imlach, Shamar Joseph, Zachary McCaskie

Men's Dettol ODI Series v West Indies

February 2: MCG, 2.30pm AEDT

February 4: SCG, 2.30pm AEDT

February 6: Manuka Oval, Canberra 2.30pm AEDT

Australia ODI squad: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head (vc), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Matt Short, Will Sutherland, Adam Zampa

West Indies ODI squad: Shai Hope (c), Alzarri Joseph, Alick Athanaze, Teddy Bishop, Keacy Carty, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Justin Greaves, Kavem Hodge, Tevin Imlach, Gudakesh Motie, Kjorn Ottley, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas, Hayden Walsh Jr.

Men's Dettol T20I Series v West Indies

February 9: Blundstone Arena, Hobart 7.00pm AEDT

February 11: Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT

February 13: Perth Stadium, 7pm AEDT

Australia T20I squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Jason Behrendorff, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

West Indies T20I squad: Rovman Powell (c), Shai Hope, Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Kyle Mayers, Gudakesh Motie, Nicholas Pooran, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Oshane Thomas