From tears of pain to tears of joy

Shamar Joseph was in tears towards the end of Day 3 of the second Test against Australia in Brisbane. He knew he would not be able to add valuable runs like he did on his Test debut in Adelaide. A fast Mitchell Starc yorker was to be blamed for this. It hit Joseph flush on the toe and forced him to retire out.

West Indies were bowled out for 193. Australia's target to sweep the series was 216. It was not a bad fourth innings total to defend, especially in a Day/Night Test. But not when your best bowler is almost certain not to bowl a single over.

Joseph was taken for scans and thankfully, there was no fracture detected. But even then, there was no chance of him bowling at full tilt on Sunday. "I wasn't even going to come to the ground today. But the doctor did something to my toe. I don't know what he did. But it worked," Joseph told the host broadcasters on Sunday.

It worked wonders. Joseph was not only back on the field but was also the architect of one of West Indies' most memorable Test wins in three decades. The right-arm pacer returned with figures of 7/68 in 11.5 overs to bowl Australia out for 207. It was a display of hostile fast bowling, where his pace breached the 150 kmph mark multiple times. It was a story of courage, grit, determination and belief.

The toe-crusher from Mitchell Starc which left Shamar Joseph in tears the previous night. Photo: AFP

"I was in pain. But I told my captain that I will bowl till the Australian wicket falls no matter how much my toe hurts," Joseph told broadcasters after his heroic spell which helped West Indies to a historic eight-run victory.

"Tears would have come to my eyes but I already cried when I got my five-wicket haul," said Joseph, who was named both Man of the Match and Man of the Series.  "It's just happiness, when was the last time we won in Australia? I can't even remember. Today's a big day for us."