Shamar Joseph’s fiery 4/46 at Bridgetown rocks Australia – What makes him so lethal?
West Indies’ new Test captain, Roston Chase, chuckled in the pre-match press conference and hoped for ‘some scars’ of Shamar Joseph among Australia’s batting line-up. Reminding Joseph’s 7/68 at the Gabba early in 2023, Chase smiled with an expectation of ‘hurting’ the visitors before hitting the ground.
Meanwhile, Pat Cummins countered with trust in his batters of how ‘they have been talking about managing’ the 25-year-old. Amidst all the words thrown at each other, both camps geared up with the spotlight on the ‘former security guard.’
Shamar Joseph’s hostile opening spell in Barbados
Joseph hasn’t quite hit the Gabba heights since then, especially after his struggles in England last year. The right-arm fast bowler was not up to the mark with the pace, averaging around 65 for his four wickets in five innings. But it only needed an Australia side for the youngster to regain his rhythm.
Pat Cummins’ army were playing their first Test at Bridgetown in Barbados since 2012. On a dry but spicy surface, the visitors decided to bowl first. Ten days after scraping past 200 in both innings of the WTC 2023-25 final, eyes were vastly on their top order.
The management decided to bring back young Sam Konstas for the opening position. But he was up against a firing Joseph, who picked up exactly where he left off in Brisbane. Sprinting from the Joel Garner end, he used his height to generate pace and bounce, tasting the batters with various seam movements off the surface.
Konstas was beautifully set up by the Baracara-born. The first couple of deliveries went away from the right-handed batter, who slowly got into his front foot. However, the fourth delivery nipped back sharply to smash the New South Wales batter on the knee roll. Chase reviewed to show three reds.
“I think I set it up perfectly towards him; a few outswingers, and then get the ball to nip back, because he’s just looking to get beaten outside off and then to nip back through the gate,” Joseph told ESPN on the hard work he put after the white-ball UK trip.
At number three, Cameron Green strolled in, amidst scrutiny after scores of 4 and two-ball duck at Lord’s. Cummins, in the press conference, backed the 26-year-old as Australia’s ‘long-term number three.’
Debutant Brandon King dropped the batter on the second ball at gully region. But Green’s fortune didn’t last long in the middle. Joseph went wide of the crease and put the ball in the corridor of uncertainty. It came angled in, initially drawing the batter towards it, but once it got straightened up, the outside edge was induced to the second slip.
Read More: AUS vs WI: Former Security Guard Shamar Joseph helps WI get first Test win in 27 years in Australia
He just keeps going! UNPLAYABLE!🤯 #WIvAUS | #FullAhEnergy pic.twitter.com/TgaQCwvBmM
— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) June 25, 2025
Smart Shamar Joseph follows a steady routine with the ball
After Josh Inglis’ poor return to the Test side, Travis Head and Usman Khawaja tried to grab the stage. Both have a different batting style, but the result of an 89-run stand for the fourth wicket stabled the tourists.
Just after lunch, Shamar was eagerly putting the short balls at Khawaja. The length wasn’t dragged immensely towards the bowler, which took the pull shot out of the equation. Due to the pace of the surface, the southpaw also struggled to defend it.
That was where the Guyana pacer showed smartness. He pulled the length an inch, and sensing the pull, Khawaja looked to break the jail. But he got an under-edge through to the wicket-keeper and walked back even before the umpire raised his finger.
Amidst all of this action, the best was yet to come. Beau Webster relaxed a bit after smashing the short and wide delivery to the boundary. But he was hardly prepared for the next ball.
A plea for Shamar Joseph to play every Test against Australia, regardless of who the opposition are. It’s always box office. What a star
— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) June 25, 2025
Shamar Joseph again went wide of the crease and drew the batter across. But rather than going into the leg side, the ball changed its trajectory like a fast leg-break and squared up Webster to clip the top of the off-stump. The 25-year-old claimed it as ‘probably one of his best deliveries ever bowled.’
If King hadn’t dropped Nathan Lyon’s easy catch, Joseph would have celebrated his fourth five-wicket haul in the ninth Test. But his figures of 4/46 hammered Australia’s top-order. In result, they ended up with 180 on the board. It was their lowest first innings total against this opponent since Jan 2000.
The last Test victory for the West Indies against Australia in the Caribbean came in 2003. Joseph has already provided them the platform to end the 22-year-long wait.
But questions are now on the visiting batting in the second innings. Can they repay Cummins’ plan of ‘counterattack,’ or will Joseph offer another chance to his captain to giggle at the WTC 2021-23 champions?
Read More: ENG vs IND, 2025: Changes desired in India’s XI for Edgbaston Test
