Sports
It may have taken 27 years, but the West Indies wins their Test Match against Australia
BY KRISHNA MISTRY
The West Indies cricket team breaks the cycle and beats Australia in a test match after twenty-seven years. Australia was undefeated against the West Indies since they played in Perth, Australia twenty-seven years ago. They once again played with a chance of beating Australia in Brisbane, Australia from January 24th to January 28th.
In each test match, there are two innings. This means each team gets to bat and bowl twice. A test match consists of five days, where teams have a playtime of seven hours. When playing a test match, there are no restrictions on the number of overs played. This means that until all eleven players are out, or the seven-hour mark is reached the game is in play.
During the first inning, West Indies was the first to bat. West Indies made a total of three hundred and eleven runs in one hundred and eight overs.
Joshua Da Silva made seventy-nine runs in a hundred and fifty-seven balls; the highest number of runs scored for West Indies. Followed by Kavem Hodge, the second highest with seventy-one runs in one hundred and ninety-four balls.
West Indies did a spectacular job holding down Australia from making too many runs. Multiple bowlers were able to score a maiden. A maiden is when there are no runs scored in the over. Justin Greaves got three maidens out of the nine overs he bowled.
Australia, however, made two hundred and eighty-nine runs, putting West Indies in the lead by twenty-two runs during the first inning.
West Indies scored one hundred and ninety-three runs in seventy-two overs in the second inning. Though they made fewer runs in the second inning, West Indies had an advantage of twenty-two runs, leaving them with a total of two hundred and fifteen runs.
Australia needed to score two hundred and sixteen runs in order to win the test match. They started strong with Sam Smith, who was able to make ninety-one runs, but as the game continued, it didn’t look too well for Australia. They were making fewer runs per player, making it tough for Australia to win. West Indies enhanced their fielding, catching most of the balls the Australian players were hitting.
Young Shamar Joseph led the West Indies to success with his exemplary bowling. The twenty-four-year-old Guyanese player made his debut in the international cricket world by playing against Australia and receiving the title of ‘Man of the Match’ for his exceptional performance.
Joseph was able to get seven wickets during the second inning, and although he suffered a toe injury during the first match, he pushed through it and focused on the game.
In an interview with Fox Cricket, Joseph mentioned how he felt during the match: “I just want to get the last wicket. That was important for me. I would do this for you and the team.”
Joseph explained his determination to win this test match, to make his team proud, and to make his country proud.
West Indies have taken a phenomenal step in the history of cricket and are getting the recognition they deserve for their spectacular matches.