Who said what - top 5 expert reactions to Shamar Joseph's match-winning spell vs Australia ft. Brian Lara

West Indies speedster Shamar Joseph etched himself in cricketing folklore as his heroic spell on Day 4 of the second Test against Australia at the Gabba helped the visitors script a memorable win by just eight runs. It was the first Test win Down Under in 27 years for the men from the Caribbean.

Joseph had a suspected fractured toe as he had retired hurt late on Day 3 due to a searing yorker from Mitchell Starc. However, the speedster turned up the next day and produced a spell for the ages, bagging sensational figures of 7/68.

Chasing 216, the Aussies were bowled out for 207, and the 'fortress' Gabba was breached for the second time in three years. Many in the cricketing fraternity heaped praise on Shamar Joseph for his commitment despite the injury and here are five of the best expert reactions:

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#5 Curtly Ambrose

Former West Indies pacer Curtly Ambrose had high praise for Shamar Joseph as he compared the latter with the legendary late Malcolm Marshall, who is considered one of the greatest pacers to ever play the game.

Here's what Ambrose told The Daily Star:

"He (Joseph) is a skiddy customer, more in the mould of Malcolm Marshall. So, I hope that he remains focused, humble and continues to learn his craft and tries to learn and improve every single day. I would like to see Shamar Joseph play a lot of red-ball cricket."

Ambrose is hopeful that Joseph will continue giving priority to Test cricket and only then gradually think about playing all formats.

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#4 Ian Bishop

Another former West Indies fast bowler and a well-known broadcaster, Ian Bishop was on air for Channel Seven when Shamar Joseph cleaned up Josh Hazlewood to send his team into delirium.

Bishop believes this is just the beginning of what would be a world-class career for Joseph. Here's what he said:

"The first day-night Test win for the West Indies and this is just the beginning of a storied career. his is the most remarkable (Test win) that I've seen – hard to find any in the history of the game perhaps to top this. Not many people will be sleeping right now in the Caribbean, I'll tell you that."

Ian Bishop had also taken to X to request the West Indies cricket board to look after players like Shamar Joseph financially so that they feel secure and continue to play Test cricket for a long time.

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#3 AB de Villiers

AB de Villiers paid an emotional tribute to Shamar Joseph after his match-winning performance. The former South African cricketer was taken aback when he learned about the hardships that Joseph had to face to pursue his dream of playing cricket professionally.

Here's what De Villiers wrote in a couple of posts on X:

"The Shamar Joseph fairytale! Special scenes. Do yourself a favour, go read about his life on wikipedia! Literally had tears in my eyes while reading about his journey. Inspirational to say the least."

From working as a laborer and a security guard, making his first-class debut just last year to then winning a Test for the West Indies in Australia, Joseph's story has given goosebumps to many.

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#2 Steve Waugh

Former Australian captain Steve Waugh took to Instagram to congratulate Shamar Joseph and the West Indies on a famous win. He believes characters like Joseph are necessary to keep the importance of Test cricket intact due to the passion that they have to play the longest format.

Here's what he captioned his post with:

"There is nothing like Test cricket and this man may be the saviour in the purest form of the game, (sic). 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."

Joseph claimed to the reporters after the game that no matter how much money was offered to him to play franchise cricket, he would always be available to play Test cricket for the West Indies.

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#1 Brian Lara

Arguably the best reaction to Shamar Joseph's heroics came from legendary West Indies batter Brian Lara. He was on air for Fox Cricket when Joseph got the final wicket and the former captain almost immediately burst into tears.

Lara was a part of the West Indies team that last won a Test match in Australia way back in 1997. He had seen the decline of their dominance and that perhaps made the win at the Gabba even more special for the legendary former cricketer.

Here's what he said:

"This is unbelievable. Twenty-seven years to beat Australia in Australia. 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. Congratulations to every single member of that cricket team."

After being blown away in Adelaide, West Indies staged a comeback for the ages and ensured they leveled the series 1-1. Steve Smith's 91* was valiant, but not enough to take the hosts over the line.