Shamar Joseph of the West Indies and Tom Hartley of England pulled out all stops to put up a show that will be remembered for a long time to come, Australia crashed against the Windies in Brisbane and India succumbed againsg England in Hyderabad.
The West Indies reminded of their invicible days from the ’70s and ’80s at the Gabba, where Joseph delivered on his promise with a fiery 7-wicket spell (7/68) of fast bowling to deflate the Aussies and script a thrilling 8-run win for the visitors in his debut series.
It was the first win for the Caribbean team in Australia since 1997.
Hours later, England debutant Hartley haunted Indian batters in their own den with his left-arm spin that produced seven wickets (7/62) as the hosts failed to chase a target of 231 and lost the first Test by 28 runs.
Two bowlers making their forary into Tests became the toast of the cricketing world.
“The best stories are the ones with unexpected twists & @OPope32 scripted one for his team,” posted Sachin Tendulkar on ‘X’ to highlight the magnitude of Ollie Pope’s 196 that enable England to set India a challening target.
“When the chips were down for his team he shone through with a combination of sound shot-selection, staying positive and good footwork, especially against our spinners. This is surely a standout performance by an Englishman on Indian soil,” Tendulkar added.
In a separate post on Joseph, Tendulkar wrote, “Shamar Joseph’s remarkable spell to claim 7 wickets highlights the sheer grit and drama of Test cricket. This is the format that truly challenges and showcases a player’s mettle. A key architect in scripting a historic victory for the West Indies in Australia after 27 years.”
Here’s how the cricket fraternity lauded Test cricket and the players who produced remarkable performances to produce two exciting finishes: