Lara, Hooper in tears, regional leaders hail young West Indies

AS Australian batsman Josh Hazlewood's off stump was uprooted by Guyanese pacer Shamar Joseph, tears of joy were shed by West Indians around the world. The West Indies, with four players making their Test debuts on tour, had clinched a phenomenal Test victory Down Under, by eight runs.

Joseph, 24, in just his second Test match, tore through the top-ranked Australian batting on Sunday with pace, controlled aggression and an iron will.

Joseph's remarkable figures of seven wickets for 68 runs at The Gabba, Brisbane, helped the visitors draw the two-match series 1-1. It was their first Test win on Australian soil in 27 years.
Looking on from the commentary booth while working for Fox Cricket was West Indies legend Brian Lara, who has had his share of battles with the Aussies.

"West Indies have done it," the 54-year-old Lara shouted as Hazlewood lost his wicket.
Overcome with euphoria, Lara hugged his former nemesis and ex-Australia wicketkeeper/batsman Adam Gilchrist, who was also doing commentary.

"It's unbelievable," Lara said as his eyes swelled with pride. "Twenty-seven years to beat Australia in Australia. Young, inexperienced, written off – this West Indies team can stand tall today. West Indies cricket can stand tall today. Today is a big day in West Indies cricket. Congratulations. Congratulations to every single member of that cricket team. What a wonderful occasion."

Another West Indian legend in Australia, Carl Hooper, was shown in the corner of ABC's commentary studio with his head in his hands while facing a wall. When he turned around, Hooper, who also hails from Guyana, wiped tears from his eyes before turning around again and walking back to the wall.

West Indies white-ball coach and former captain Daren Sammy certainly enjoyed the performance, as he posted on X (formerly Twitter), "Are you not entertained."

Another ex-West Indies captain, Dwayne Bravo, congratulated the team on Instagram and paid kudos to skipper Kraigg Brathwaite and Joseph. He said, "Big congratulations to skipper Kraigg Brathwaite, well done on leading this young team to be able to create history! You deserve all the accolades that will be coming your way, Shamar Joseph....Enjoy the moment and it's a day all WI fans will remember for a very long time."

Former South African batsman AB de Villiers said he was in tears reading about Joseph's rise to international cricket. Joseph was born in Baracara, a remote village in Guyana with less than 400 people. Baracara, which can only be accessed by boat, did not have internet up until 2018.
Life was tough but Joseph was determined to succeed. He left Baracara for New Amsterdam after a falling tree almost killed him. Despite working in construction industry and later as a security guard, cricket was Joseph's passion.

His immense talent was quickly spotted at a fast bowling camp hosted by WI legend Curtly Ambrose in 2022, and the rest was history. Despite never playing national youth cricket, Joseph made his first-class debut for Guyana in February last year.

The Prime Minister, an avid cricket fan, congratulated Joseph and the West Indies. He posted on Facebook, "Could this be one of the greatest most improbable cricket results in the history of the Test game? Congratulations."

Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley said the regional side showed tremendous character to defeat their hosts. She said on Instagram, "Yes, Cricket, Lovely Cricket – it is more than bat and ball! Character – heart and discipline, hard work and belief in what could be achieved against all the odds, against the No 1 team in the world, Australia – and going where no West Indies team has gone for 27 years in Australia! 7 uncapped going into this Series!! Let 2024 be the course correction we need! Australia may have retained the Frank Worrell Trophy but today West Indies reflected the spirit of (former captain) Frank Worrell!!"

She hailed the strength and leadership of her compatriot Brathwaite and also congratulated Joseph on his astounding showing with the ball.

Australia captain Pat Cummins exchanged jerseys with Joseph and described his debut series as a "hell of a start." The legendary fast bowler tongue-in-cheek said he hoped to get on his toe every now and then if it meant producing that kind of performance the next day.
"I'm sure we'll be seeing a lot more of him," he said.