West Indies pacer Justin Greaves made Test history against Pakistan with a 5-wicket haul without conceding a single run. His five consecutive wicket-maidens triggered a collapse, while Roston Chase's advice helped him deliver a remarkable Test spell.
The West Indies pacer Justin Greaves grabbed the attention of the cricketing world with a historic spell in the first Test of the two-match series against Pakistan at Brian Lara Cricket Academy Stadium in Trinidad and Tobago on Monday, July 27.
Greaves scripted 149-year Test history by becoming the first bowler to claim a five-wicket haul without conceding a single run, finishing with stunning figures of 5/27 from 11 overs. His spell included five consecutive maiden overs and a remarkable burst of 5/0 in five overs. The 32-year-old’s opening six overs yielded no wickets, but everything changed in his next five overs, dismantling Pakistan’s batting line-up.
Justin Greaves was instrumental in triggering a collapse in Pakistan’s batting, reducing the visitors from 244/4 to 282/10, losing six wickets in just 38 runs as his lethal spell of five consecutive wicket-maidens cleaned up the lower order and stunned Pakistan.
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Greaves Reveals Chase’s Advice Before 5-Wicket Haul
After bowling his last spell in the 22nd over, Justin Greaves was brought back into the attack in the 60th over of Pakistan’s first-innings batting, which turned out to be the turning point, as his precise line and length immediately unsettled the batters and kickstarted his historic sequence of five consecutive wicket-maidens.
Before resuming his bowling after a gap of 38 overs, Greaves received crucial advice from West Indies Test captain Roston Chase, who advised the pacer to stay disciplined and keep doing what he had been doing and help the team get the wickets.
“When I came on, captain Roston Chase just said, 'continue to be disciplined in what you are doing' and to see if I can get some wickets for the team," Greaves said after the heroic spell.
“The ball nipped around, and I got some reward. Anytime I get the ball in hand, the team looks to me to be that solid player for them and try to dig us out of situations. To get five wickets for the first time in Test cricket, I'm really happy, but there's still a lot of work to do in the game," he added.
Pakistan were at a good position with 232/3 in 59 overs before Greaves' sensational spell completely turned the tide of the match on its head. West Indies pacer picked up the wickets of Shan Masood, Aamer Jamal, Ali Usman, Mohammad Rizwan, and Mohammad Abbas to complete his historic five-wicket haul and wrap up Pakistan's first innings.
Justin Greaves' Five-Wicket Maiden Leaves Fans Amazed
Justin Greaves’ historic achievement in the first Test against Pakistan sparked massive reactions on social media, especially X (formerly Twitter), with fans and cricket enthusiasts praising the West Indies pacer for producing one of the most remarkable spells in Test cricket history.
Taking to their X handles, many fans described Greaves' five consecutive wicket-maidens as an ‘unreal’ and ‘historic’ achievement, while others praised his accuracy, discipline and ability to change the course of the match. Several users compared his performance to some of the greatest spells in West Indies' fast-bowling history.
Some fans highlighted that Greaves created history by surpassing Stuart Broad's record of four consecutive wicket-maidens against South Africa in 2016, calling the West Indies pacer's performance a ‘masterclass’ in fast bowling.
Meanwhile, West Indies suffered a batting collapse in the second innings, as they posted a total of 126/7 in 43 overs, with Shamar Joseph and Kemar Roach batting on 22 and 5, respectively, while trailing by 155 runs to rebuild their innings on a tense third day in Trinidad.
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