While no one beats Vitas Gerulaitis 17 times in a row, the new catch cry is that no one beats the West Indies 28 years in a row.
In a twist that’s left the cricketing world gobsmacked, the West Indies have done the unthinkable, the unimaginable, the sort of thing that makes you check if you’ve had too much rum: they’ve beaten Australia in the second test by a mere eight runs.
Yes, you heard that right.
1. A Star is Born
Last year, Shamar Joseph was just another bloke in a security guard’s uniform. Fast forward to this year, and he’s a national hero.At 24, this lad has flipped the script on its head, becoming the man of the match and the series with his mind-boggling bowling against Australia.
In the first test, he takes 5/94, and then, as if that was just a warm-up, he storms through the second test with 7/68.
The climax?
He sends Josh Hazlewood’s off-stump flying—a proper mic-drop moment—clinching an eight-run win for the West Indies.
His wicket list reads like a who’s who of cricket: Green, Head (king-paired, no less), Carey, Marsh, Cummins, Starc.
Broadcaster Adam White, in what must have been a state of shock, scribbled down: “Shamar Joseph went to hospital last night to get scans on a suspected broken toe. Today he’s just bowled ten consecutive overs in energy-sapping high humidity. He’s taken six wickets and bowled at speeds close to 150 kilometres (93 miles) per hour. In his second Test match. Simply extraordinary.”
2. Legends Do Cry
In a scene that could have been straight out of a high-drama cricket novel, the West Indies pulled off a victory so staggering it sent the cricketing world into a frenzy of emotions, with legends Brian Lara and Carl Hooper at the epicentre.Lara, usually as cool as a cucumber in the commentary box, was caught by Fox Cricket cameras with tears streaming down his face, overwhelmed by Shamar Joseph’s David vs. Goliath performance.
3. Go Woke, Go Broke
It seems Australia’s cricketers have taken a detour from the pitch to the political arena, with Captain Cummins and former Captain Smith leading the charge in a crusade to change the date of Australia Day.You'd think they were running for parliament, not running between wickets.
Meanwhile, the corporate world—the likes of Bud Light, Woolworths, and now, RIP Curl—have been learning this “woke” lesson the hard way, watching their fortunes dwindle like a poorly defended wicket.
Over at the GABBA, the crowd numbers had plummeted to a measly 3,000 on day four. It’s a scene even more dismal than the WACA, where the locals were up in arms over the treatment of Justin Langer, the former coach. It’s as if the cricket ground has become a battleground for every cause but cricket.
4. Australia has Found an Opener
Steve Smith, with his dazzling 91, has now etched his name as only the second Australian opener to carry his bat since David Warner’s Hobart heroics in 2011. But his misplaced faith in the tailenders during the run chase turned out to be a bad call with Shamar Joseph playing the Grim Reaper with the ball.Meanwhile, the vice-captain managed to drop two sitters in the slips, only to then redeem himself somewhat by snagging five catches.
This erratic display nudged him within a whisker of Mark Waugh, who sits perched on Australia’s all-time catchers’ record.
5. In the Pink
So, in the ever-tinkering world of cricket, where changing a comma in the rule book is considered revolutionary, they’ve come up with this brainwave: pink ball cricket.This isn’t just a fashion statement; it’s the latest fad in the cricketing circus: pink ball cricket, the day-night test matches’ new darling.
The boffins behind this say the pink ball is easier to see under the lights, which sounds like an admission that cricket was too hard to follow in the first place. And while the pink and red balls weigh the same and both have a cork core, the pink ball dons a polyurethane coat, like it’s off to a gala.
6. Cost of a Stump is Revealed
So, there I was, day two of the second test, eyes glued to the screen, when suddenly, Mark Howard on Fox News dropped a bombshell about the cost of a single cricket stump.Hold onto your hats—each one is a whopping $30,000 (US$20,000)!
No, they’re not carved out of some rare, mystical tree. The price tag comes from the two fancy cameras embedded in each stump, one giving the bowler the evil eye and the other keeping tabs on the batsman.
Yet even at this price, they need a regular juice-up at every session. It’s like they’re on life support. You‘d think for $30,000 a pop, they’d at least have the decency to stay awake for a whole day’s play.
