'I Didn't Even Get to Sleep Till 3-4 in The Morning': Shamar Joseph on Playing Through Injury Against Australia

The miracle at Gabba, a sight to behold for cricket fans all over for years to come. Shamar Joseph was in the driver’s seat of a historic victory against Australia at the Gabba in Brisbane, scalping seven wickets in the second innings to close out the Aussies and clinch a nail-biter of a win by 8 runs.

Coming to Brisbane, he could pick just 1 wicket in the first innings but he owned the final one when West Indies were defending 216. After getting cleared of a toe fracture, Joseph returned with a 7-wicket haul to hand West Indies a victory to remember.

Shamar exclaimed about how the victory was even more sweeter given the presence of West Indies cricketing greats such as Brain Lara and Ian Bishop witnessing the miracle at the Gabba as well.

“Having the great Sir Lara standing, Sir Brian Charles Lara, it’s amazing to do this in front of him, Ian Bishop and Sir Carl Hooper. It’s amazing.”

Shamar’s availability in the squad for the final day of play though was not set in stone. In fact, the young pacer was doubtful about making an appearance after sustaining an injury the previous night.

The Guyanese pacer displayed true grit and spirit to lift the Carribean ranks to glory, following an injury scare the previous night when he was forced to retire hurt after being  hit on the toe by a Mitchell Starc yorker, and requiring scans for the same.

Shamar though spoke on the support he received from his teammates, especially his skipper Kraigg Brathwaite and Alzarri Joseph, and named them as key reasons behind his shining performance.

“Kraigg (Brathwaite) was like, ‘How are you feeling, buddy?’ I said I’m fine. ‘Are you sure?’ I said I’m not coming off. No matter what you do, I’m not coming off. You know, he just kept believing. All the time he was just telling me, ‘Just keep going, buddy. Just keep going.’

“Alzarri (Joseph) came to me and said the same thing. Take that pain and get wickets. That’s all I needed. I said that I would do it for him, and the team,” said Shamar.

When inquired about the toll the injury took on him personally, Shamar spoke about the doubt that festered in his mind going into the last day of play, and just how mentally and physically taxing it was for him.

“How I was feeling last night? I was on my bed in terrible pain. To be fair, I didn’t even get to sleep till like 3-4 o’clock in the morning. Around like 11:30 AM, Dr. (Denis) Byam called me and said that, ‘I need you at the ground’. I said, to be fair, I’m not feeling well, but I would just come and support.

“I got to the ground and he gave me some tablet. I don’t know what kind of tablet it is. But, it worked. It actually worked for me. And you know, as I said earlier, going out there to pick up eight wickets, to just get 154 runs, to win with a great team like Australia, that’s amazing,” stated a joyous Shamar.

Reeling 1-0 in the series after losing the Adelaide Test, the Caribbean tourists made a spirited comeback to rob the Aussies in their own backyard. Chasing 216, Australia were bundled out for 207 as Shamar Joseph, the rookie speedster, wreaked havoc in Brisbane.