It was a spell of extraordinary brilliance that reduced an iconic West Indian cricketer to tears.

As Shamar Joseph tore with his arms outstretched towards the boundary line after knocking over Josh Hazlewood to complete the most spellbinding of performances at the Gabba in January, 2024, Brian Lara was overwhelmed by what he had just witnessed.

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One of the greatest batters of all-time, the West Indian legend was renowned for his poise at the crease. But having witnessed the decline of the once almighty Kings of the Caribbean in Test cricket, being on hand to watch an upset of epic proportions proved too much.

“The West Indies have done it. It is unbelievable. Twenty seven years to beat Australia in Australia,” Lara said.

“Young. Inexperienced. Written off. This West Indies team can stand tall today. West Indies cricket can stand tall today. Today is a big day in West Indies cricket. Congratulations to every singles member of that cricket team. What a wonderful occasion.”

What had unfolded over the previous 20 overs was unbelievable. The world champion Australian team was in its pomp and appeared to be cruising to another victory at the ‘Gabbatoir’ at 2-113, in pursuit of 216, when Joseph ran in to bowl to Cameron Green in the 31st over.

Bang. The Western Australian’s stumps were sent crashing. Boom. Travis Head’s were smashed into with the next delivery.

Four overs later Mitch Marsh was on his way for 10. Then crash, Joseph knocked over Alex Carey’s stumps as well. Mitchell Starc offered some resistance before falling and was soon joined by Pat Cummins as the little-known speedster when on a tear.

After Alzarri Joseph chimed in to clinch Nathan Lyon, Hazlewood defended stoutly as the unbeaten opener Steve Smith edged the hosts towards the target. But in trying to farm the strike, the No.11 was always going to be exposed. And then Joseph delivered another ripper.

On the eve of a career-defining performance, there had been some doubt as to whether Joseph would bowl as he battled a toe issue. After taking five wickets on debut in Adelaide a week prior, he managed to snare only Carey in the first dig when taking 1-56 from 11 overs.

But he responded with one of the most brilliant spells produced on Australian soil, knocking over four Australians clean bowled on route to taking 7-68 from just under 12 overs in the second innings to earn Player of the Match and Series honours, along with rich plaudits.

“I completely reiterate everything Brian Lara just said. Look at the emotion here. It is exactly why Test cricket is so special to anyone who knows anything about the game,” Australian great Adam Gilchrist said as he embraced Lara while calling the match for Fox Cricket.

On Instagram, former Australian skipper Steve Waugh declared; “This man may be the saviour in the purest form of the game.” “Cinderella stories are rare in sport but this was truly epic from a young man who has single-handedly reignited the passion of cricket followers in the Caribbean and all over the world,” Waugh wrote.

West Indies historic AUS soil win | 06:06

THE RETURN BOUT

The magnificence of that victory was instrumental in Australia agreeing to feature in a three Test series against the West Indies, which includes a day-night encounter in Jamaica to conclude the tour next month.

As Pat Cummins was assessing the West Indies team hosting the Frank Worrell Trophy, which Australia has held since 1995, he noted that more than half of the West Indies team has changed from the Gabba win.

Fast bowler Kemar Roach is a notable absentee and Kraigg Braithwaite is no longer skipper. The West Indies are also fielding only three players from their most recent Test triumph in Pakistan in January as part of a major overhaul.

But there are differences in the Australian team as well, with Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne both missing from the national side for the first time since the Boxing Day Test in 2018, and Mitch Marsh no longer the preferred all-rounder.

Australia is no longer the reigning World Test Champion, having lost that mantle with a surprise loss to South Africa at Lord’s last week.

But if Lara and company were envisaging the triumph over Australia would prove a turning point for the West Indies, the proof since then has been less than overwhelming when it comes to the nation of islands’ Test performances.

The West Indies were trounced 3-0 when touring England last July for the Botham-Richards Trophy, with Joseph among those who failed to fire.

While the managed to surpass 400 once in the second Test in Nottingham, they were dismissed for less than 200 in four of their six innings in the United Kingdom while conceding 1675 runs at an average of 40 per wicket.

They hosted South Africa in August for a two Test series they lost 1-0, with 233 their best innings with the bat and then drew when hosting Bangladesh late last year, splitting Tests played in North Sound and Kingston.

On a tour of Pakistan in January, they split the Tests played in Multan, but only passed 200 in one of the four innings they batted.

New skipper Roston Chase was lured back from franchise cricket by coach Daren Sammy to take charge of the West Indies and said he hoped the triumph in Queensland 17 months ago has Australia thinking twice.

“I hope there are some scars,” he said.

“If they’re still thinking about that going out there on Wednesday (midnight Thursday AEST), that would be very good for us. That will be part of the job done for us.”

Despite their mixed form since that triumph in Australia, Chase is also confident the hosts will be competitive, with Shai Hope returning for his first Test since 2021.

“Right now, we are eighth and we don’t want to set goals that are beyond our reach,” Chase said.

“We have 14 games in this cycle, so if we could win 44 per cent of those games, that will put us in a position at the end of the cycle to be around fourth or sixth looking at the points … over the past two cycles.

“It’s a new era and a fresh start and a new World Test Championship cycle. (It is) my first time as captain, and Sammy’s first time being coach of the Test team.

“Hopefully we can bring some new energy and turn it around. We’ve been in the bottom half of the table for a number of years now, so we really looking to change that and see if we can make a change in West Indies cricket for the better.”

The West Indies captain is promising an aggressive approach against the Australians, with T20 powerhouse Brandon King to debut in the first Test.

“Recently, the Test game has evolved a lot, and guys are trying to move the game forward,” Chase said.

“You can expect positive cricket from us. We’re looking to play with a bit more flair and bring back that Caribbean style to the game, and we’re looking forward to making the Caribbean nation proud.

“It’s still Test cricket, so you still have to have some type of patience, so it’ll (be on) the guys to mix their aggression with that patience.”

In the same time period, Australia has won seven of the ten Tests it has played when touring New Zealand and Sri Lanka, while hosting India between those series, with its two defeats against India in Perth and South Africa in the WTC final at Lord’s.

With a new WTC cycle underway, the Australians are viewing this series as the start of a reset aimed at qualifying for the next final with a view to reclaiming the Mace in 2027 at Lord’s.

Labuschagne is the first domino to fall. Usman Khawaja will turn 39 during the Ashes but is adamant he wants to play against England, noting he has been the top run scorer for his country in the previous two WTC cycles. The stats, he says, do not lie.

But an opportunity lies for players including Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis to make a mark in the West Indies with a view to the massive summer ahead against England, which posted a resounding victory over India in the first Test in Leeds on Tuesday.

“When we played these guys in Australia, (more than) half the squad weren’t there. It’s a new squad. I like that part of Test cricket. You’ve got to problem solve really quickly when you’re out there. But they’ve got some class fast bowlers and a new captain as well,” Cummins said.

“That was a great series couple years ago and we weren’t quite up to scratch in the Gabba Test and a couple of the West Indian guys, particularly Shamar, had a day out.

“I’m sure the batters have been talking about how to manage him and counter that … it’s a new (Test) cycle so we’re really keen to get off to a good start and put ourselves at the top of that WTC.”

HAS SHAMAR CEMENTED HIMSELF AS A SUPERSTAR?

Joseph’s heroics at the Gabba sparked headlines around the cricket world and some cracking stories as well as feature writers dug into his background to discover where the tiny terror, at least in regards to former West Indian quicks, exploded from.

The 172cm fast bowler hails from the remote West Indian island Baracara, which is a two day boat ride from New Amsterdam, and grew up with no access to the internet. But his seven wicket burst at the Gabba soon went viral across the globe.

As a kid, he idolised Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh and learnt to bowl with fruits including guavas, lemons and limes in what as called “jungle land cricket” according to a report in The Canberra Times.

The first Test cricketer from Baracara, he moved to New Amsterdam after almost being killed in a logging accident and worked as a security guard before quitting in 2023 when his fiance convinced him to have a proper crack at cricket with Guyana.

“I quit my job because this is what I want and I always could have made it because I have the confidence I could have made it,” he told News Room Sport.

“The mother of my child is the one who is there for me, supporting me right through. She always encourages me that if this is what I want, she would be there to brace me whenever I am down and she is there for me, always.”

Within the space of 12 months he was in Australia terrorising the world champion’s best batters to draw the attention of IPL franchises.

“A lot has changed. There were a lot of opportunities that came my way,” Joseph told the Sydney Morning Herald this week.

“There was a big welcome by fellow Guyanese people and all over the Caribbean. Everywhere I go, there are a lot of congratulations and a lot of love has been shown towards me because of my achievement. Not just my achievement, but West Indies cricket overall. It’s been a while since we have done something great against Australia.”

Joseph, who was named the West Indies Test Cricketer of the Year at a function in the Caribbean last weekend, has bowled decently in his six subsequent Tests without reaching the heights that he managed at the Gabba and has a record of 29 wickets at an average of 26.75.

He has battled shin splints and hamstring issues and did not play an IPL match in the most recent season. In a recent West Indies A hitout against South Africa A, he snared three wickets while conceding 118 runs in two innings.

Former West Indies great Ian Bishop told ESPN Cricinfo that he hopes the young speedster finds the right balance in his cricket and points out his pursuit of a cricket identity is shared across the Caribbean and more broadly as well.

“He went to England on the back of playing a lot of white-ball cricket and his fitness and his load management wasn’t up to scratch, so he struggled there,” Bishop told ESPN.

“He came back well last year against South Africa. But he hasn’t really reached those heights of the Gabba Test match as often as I would have hoped. But now that he’s had some time, I think, to get back into red-ball cricket, I’m hoping that we will see once again the best of him.

“The draw of the leagues, particularly for those from the less wealthy nations, the nations under the big three who can’t afford to pay their players the same remuneration as England, India and Australia can, the compromise to allow them to play league cricket for their financial security (is a factor).

“In the case of Shamar being in the IPL, where he hasn’t played much, finding that right balance as an administration and as an individual player is still an ongoing work in progress. I’m hoping that as Shamar now gets into the back half of his twenties, that he recognises and identifies which format of the game is greater for him and his legacy (while) balancing (that) with his financial security.”

All the while, Joseph has continued to learn more about Test cricket, revealing that he has exchanged messages with Cummins, who encouraged him to “remember what I did to get here”. Should he reproduce his Gabba deeds, the Aussie skipper may regret that advice.

“There’s a lot of confidence. We work as a team to be successful,” Joseph says.

“It is a very important series for us because it’s in our backyard. We don’t want to play catch up. We want to win the first Test match. We want to use our home advantage as much as we can.”