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WHAT a truly excellent execution of duty by this green West Indies team.
Playing with tremendous confidence and self-belief, they conquered the mighty Australians in the second Test match at Brisbane on January 27, beyond the belief of cricket aficionados.
Congratulations to captain Kraigg Brathwaite and his magnificent men on their Test win and tying the series against the 2023 world champions of Test cricket.
The overconfident Pat Cummins, captain of Australia, declared his team’s first innings 22 runs below the WI’s score in order to take some crucial wickets before the close of play. He only got one, and WI went on to make 193 runs. leaving an appetising 216 runs for his team to win the second Test and claim a sweep of the two Test series.
The player-of-the-match and player-of-the-series fast bowler Shamar Joseph, in his first Test series and only his second Test, had his own demands and called out the Aussie batsmen, rattling them for the fabulous figures of seven wickets for 68 runs, a truly breathtaking bowling spell. On the field of play the jubilant 24-year-old never disguised his delight at the successful inroads he made as he scythed through the Australian resistant batting line-up.
On a much better cricket pitch than in the first Test match, the WI cricketers improved their performances to suit. On the Gabba ground for the second Test, the pitch was firm with a generous covering of grass. This enabled a true, consistent bounce with the ball coming on to the bat, which assisted the batsmen in their strokeplay, so they were able to play their drives with confidence off the front foot.
Although there was not the movement off the wicket that the bowlers achieved in the first Test, there was still help for the faster bowlers, with some movement off the seam, but the bowlers had to make it happen.
The field looked picture perfect, as befitted a Test match; the same could be said about Adelaide, where the first Test was played.
It was really wonderful to witness this effort by these unrecognised cricketers of the West Indies. These are players and team, plus captain, subjected to several insulting remarks from West Indians and Australians, “like lambs to the slaughter” and “way below an acceptable standard” being a small sample. However, Kraigg Brathwaite’s men did not allow this to get in the way of playing cricket to the best of their ability and they must be very proud of themselves.

The Aussie cricket fans showed their respect for a region that has produced some of the best cricketers the world has ever seen, by turning out in their numbers to observe what challenge they had to offer, after franchises have been robbing the struggling economic region of their players.
And top-class players of character are going to be continually produced among the isles of the Caribbean and as they are enticed away, our naturally talented people will attract more and more franchise offers. Hence, as we kiss those goodbye, we’ll be welcoming the newcomers with open arms.
Eventually, they will find that sincere players would rather have the satisfaction of representing their country than the fleeting joy of playing for stitched-together clubs who really don't care one way or the other whether they win or lose.
All the money one can earn could never replace the deep feelings of contentment one can hold on to by winning accolades for one’s country. The pleasure of fulfilment when recording victories for one’s country strokes the ego. One’s name is preserved in history by helping to carry one’s country to victory.
A special mention for some of the other players is called for, regardless of the team effort, which was brilliant. They are: Kirk McKenzie, Joshua Da Silva, Kavem Hodge and Kevin Sinclair.
Nonetheless, an extraordinary team endeavour.
Standing tall, victorious after whipping another country at sport, is a feeling of unparalleled elation that one may find difficult to emulate.
Players on the field represent those in the unseen management; therefore, I congratulate the manager of the team, Rawl Lewis and head coach Andre Coley, plus his assistants.
I, personally, have special praise for Kraigg Brathwaite, the skipper. His batting has suffered from the burden of captaincy recently, and now, playing against Australia, it showed. Players left him stranded while they chased after cricket’s currency temptations; yet he continued guiding newcomers, accepting his lot. I dedicate this tremendous, triumphant win to
him.
 
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