MATCH STORIES
Follow UsWhen Joshua da Silva walked out to bat at the Gabba on Thursday (January 25) during the second Test, Pat Cummins immediately spread the field out.
It was almost like everyone knew what was about to come like it was from the meme ‘Hey, this is a classic’.
Across all the Tests that he’s played, the right-hander averages the least against short deliveries, with 13.3 and three dismissals. But if you narrow it down to just the bouncers in the series, he has been dismissed twice, with just one run off six balls.
His average against the bouncer in this series is 0.5.
If you look at the false shot percentage, it is at a massive 33.3%. So, in all, that was always going to be Australia’s plans in the first innings of the second Test here at the Gabba, a venue that is naturally known for its quick bounce.
Australia did not hesitate and immediately attacked the right-handed batter with a barrage of short balls. In his first 12 balls at the crease, da Silva was attacked twice with bouncers, and on one of those occasion, the right-hander smacked a boundary off the best exploiter of the short ball - Cummins.
But just a few overs after, da Silva was taken aback by surprise when he was looking to attack before withdrawing late from the shot. By then, however, he had lost balance and was on the ground looking back at the decision.
On the night, Australia attacked the right-hander with 12 short deliveries, and da Silva was in firm control over all the deliveries except for the 139kmph bouncer from Mitchell Starc, where he was caught in two minds. Once he got that bouncer beyond him, it was da Silva at his best.
Coming into this Test series, the right-hander found the right note in not just one but two games - against CA XI and SA A - scoring 110 and 105 in two innings. In fact, in the clash against CA XI, the right-hander looked sublime, scoring a 105 of the highest order, giving Windies the sort of hope they needed.
Across 43 innings, the 25-year-old had only scored 906 runs and averaged only 25.17, with FOUR DUCKS. It was in no way impressive numbers, even for a wicketkeeper-batter. That’s why this knock couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for da Silva, who took it with both hands.
Having survived the short-ball barrage, da Silva stitched a brilliant partnership alongside the newbie Kavem Hodge, thwarting Australia’s threatening bowling. Not just that, the duo combined to stitch a partnership of 149 runs, the highest partnership for any wicket against Australia in a Day/Night Test.
In his half-century, da Silva showed all kinds of technical prowess, with some soft touches behind the slip cordon for a four and a few powerful drives through the cover region for boundaries as well. Even the introduction of Nathan Lyon at one point did not really affect the right-hander’s concentration, with da Silva looking to ride the bounce.
When raising his bat after the half-century, you could see how much it meant for the 25-year-old, who was under all sorts of pressure coming into this Test here at the Gabba. The last time a West Indian wicketkeeper-batter scored a half-century against Australia, the year was still 2016: Denesh Ramdin.
If not for the ripper from Lyon later on, the right-handed batter could have easily brought up his second century.
