(Video) Alzarri Joseph’s Cold Reaction to Knocking Steve Smith’s Stumps During Kingston Test Goes Viral

Steve Smith's side has already secured the Test series against West Indies, winning the first two matches by 159 and 133 runs, respectively.

(Video) Alzarri Joseph’s Cold Reaction to Knocking Steve Smith’s Stumps During Kingston Test Goes Viral

Alzarri Jospeh gave a cold stare to Steve Smith, after dismissing him during the West Indies-Australia third Test. (via ESPN Cricinfo)

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West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph had a cold yet aggressive reaction after dismissing Australia’s Steve Smith during the second innings of the final Test in Kingston, Jamaica. On Day 2 of the match, Joseph rattled Smith’s stumps, sending him back to the pavilion after the Aussie batsman scored just five runs.

Australia has already secured the three-match series, which is in fact their first tour to the West Indies in over a decade. Consequently, the third Test match at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, is crucial for the home side to salvage pride before the tour ends. The Windies’ batting unit has remained their main weakness throughout the series, leading to significant defeats in Bridgetown and St George’s.

At Sabina Park, Australia opted to bat first, putting up a meager first innings total of 225 runs on the board, guided by knocks from Cameron Green and Steve Smith. For West Indies, Shamar Joseph finished with figures of 4/33 in his 17.3 over spell, while Jayden Seales and Justin Greaves claimed three wickets each. However, the West Indies’ batting was all the more disappointing, as they were bundled out for just 143 runs, at the end of their first innings.

Despite dwindling hopes of avoiding a 3-0 whitewash, West Indies delivered a dominant bowling display in the second innings, putting Australia in trouble at 99/6. Alzarri and Shamar Joseph were the key bowlers, taking five of the six wickets.

Meanwhile, Shamar claimed the wickets of openers Usman Khawaja and Sam Konstas, while Alzarri accounted for Steve Smith, Beau Webster, and Alex Carey, by the end of Day 2. Steve Smith’s dismissal in the 9th over of the second innings was the noteworthy one, as Alzarri Joseph bowled out the 36-year-old batter.

The 28-year-old started the over with a series of fierce bouncers, which successfully confined Smith to his crease. Joseph then altered his approach, bowling a full-length delivery aimed at the stumps off the final ball. The veteran thrust his bat forward to defend, but the ball zipped past the inside edge, struck his legs, and ultimately sent the stumps crashing down.

Following his wicket-maiden over, Alzarri Joseph leaped in celebration. As the former Australian captain left the field, the two exchanged aggressive death stares. Smith was perhaps agitated by the display of jubilation. Both players shared an intense gaze at each other while the Joseph was being embraced by his teammates. He continued his performance, dismissing Beau Webster soon after similarly.

After the completion of the three Tests, Australia and West Indies are set to face each other in a five-match T20I series beginning on July 21. Two of the matches will be played in Kingston, Jamaica, with the remaining three taking place in Basseterre, St. Kitts.

Steve Smith criticizes Day-Night Tests after being dismissed against West Indies

Conditions were challenging for batters in Kingston, where the pink ball seamed and swung throughout the day, making run-scoring difficult. Despite scoring 48 runs in the first innings of the third Test against the West Indies, Australian star Steve Smith expressed his dislike for pink-ball Test cricket.

Steve Smith pink-ball
Steve Smith expressed his disregard for pink-ball Tests, citing the difficulties in playing against it. (via NewsBytes)

The 36-year-old, who has amassed over 10,000 runs in Test cricket, highlighted the inherent difficulties of competing with the pink ball. He mentioned that identifying the pink ball during certain times of the day can get tricky, and claimed that it behaves differently from the regular red balls. Smith however, conceded that pink ball Tests may continue seem attractive owing to the proposition of playing under the lights. 

I think the pink ball in general is a completely different game. Personally, I find it quite tricky, just picking the ball up at certain times of the day and the way it behaves is completely different to a red one.

Smith on Pink-Ball Tests (H/T India TV)

Interestingly, the first day-night Test match took place between Australia and New Zealand at the Adelaide Oval, in November, 2015. Since then, 23 such pink-ball D/N Test matches have been contested, with Australia having hosted the majority (13) of those fixtures.

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