Pat Cummins' class act for Shamar Joseph as Aussies spotted in telling post-match move
The Australian cricket team showed their class despite losing to the West Indies at the Gabba.
Pat Cummins and the Australian side have shown their class in defeat, with the captain swapping shirts with Shamar Joseph after the West Indies youngster's heroic performance. Joseph led the Windies to their first Test win in Australia since 1997 on Sunday, taking 7-68 in a thrilling eight-run victory at the Gabba.
The 24-year-old snared the wickets of Cameron Green, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Mitchell Starc, Cummins and Josh Hazlewood as the Aussies collapsed from 2-113 to be all out for 207. Remarkably, Joseph didn't even think he'd be able to play on Sunday after copping a yorker to the toe from Mitchell Starc on Saturday.
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But the young gun got off the canvas to lead the Windies to one of their most famous Test victories. The Australians weren't happy about the loss to the Test minnows, but showed their class in defeat.
A number of the Aussie players stopped and applauded Joseph as he lapped up the victory near the boundary after the match. The hosts could also been seen congratulating the 24-year-old warmly as the players shook hands, and Cummins was seen telling Joseph something.
It turns out that they were organising a post-match shirt swap, which took place in the dressing rooms after the match ended. Joseph asked if he could have the Australian captain's playing top, and Cummins obliged in a brilliant gesture.
"They outplayed us, they played brilliantly," Cummins said in his post-match press conference. "There was a lot of the talk coming in about their debutants ... but they've created a couple of new superstars we didn't know about. As a cricket fan, a Test match cricket fan, there's a part of me that was happy to watch."
The loss marks the second time in four summers that Australia has suffered defeat at the normally formidable Gabba. It also marks the first loss for Australia in a day-night Test.
The Aussies finish the summer with a 4-1 record after a clean-sweep of Pakistan and a series split with the Windies. The contests have been much closer than many were predicting heading into the summer.
"There's been times the batters have got us out of trouble and times the bowlers have," Cummins said. "In the Pakistan series we found a way to win, unfortunately wasn't the case in this one. But ideally, those kind of totals, we are chasing down."
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Windies captain Kraigg Brathwaite only met Joseph for the first time on this tour. "And just from speaking to him, I knew he was special," he said. "He told me I'm not putting down this ball until the last wicket falls."
Braithwaite said it was important for the players to return to their respective islands and lead the way to ensure the victory resonates throughout the West Indies. The tourists were without a number of big-name players in Australia, with more and more talent preferring the riches of the global T20 circuit to Tests.
"It means everything with the legends here watching," Brathwaite said about the likes of Brian Lara, Carl Hooper and Ian Bishop. "Everyone loves West Indies and for us to come and do it against the No.1 team in the world in Australia, is amazing. It shows, once you have the belief, play with some heart, you can do anything."
with AAP
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