The West Indies bowlers only managed six wickets in Perth, of which three went to the seamers, and the bottom line is that Labuschagne scored 308 runs, but one of the more enthralling passages of the match came on the fourth morning when Joseph, who had been disappointing in the first innings, cranked up the speed and gave him a working over. He should have claimed him, too, on 19 but overstepped.
“You obviously have your plans,” West Indies assistant coach Roddy Estwick said. “I’m not here to give away plans but we’ll have a look; we will see his uncomfortable areas, his uncomfortable moments, and we’ll try and target them as much as possible.
“We were impressed the way [Joseph] bowled with the new ball in the second innings… I personally think a big haul is just around the corner, a five-for [is] waiting. We know he’s bowling at 140kph, he just has to get it in the right area, [then] you can keep your slips in [and] you have a better chance of four or five wickets.”
Estwick suggested that Joseph’s spell was the type that would get noticed around the world, and even gave a little nod towards his protégé Jofra Archer who he mentored during his younger days and will have sights on next year’s Ashes after a lengthy spell sidelined by injuries.
“The cricket world is so small you can’t hide and once any team exposes a weakness, the other teams will be having a look,” Estwick said. “I’m sure Jofra Archer, wherever he’s sitting, will be having a look, ticking some boxes; that’s the way cricket goes. But I’m sure if Marnus thinks he has a weakness, he’ll go away and work on it.”
“We are playing the best team in the world and we just want to grind and fight and stay in the fight as long as possible.”
Roddy Estwick
“You are playing the best side in the world, no doubt about that,” Estwick said. “You can’t go gung-ho. I know everyone has seen how England are playing and think that’s the way to go. Well, that’s the way they want to go, fine by them, but with us, we know we have to be as patient as possible.
“We are playing the best team in the world and we just want to grind and fight and stay in the fight as long as possible. We did that [in Perth], we want to go one step further. It’s all about improving, learning and getting better. You’ve just got to keep fighting and scrapping with the Australians.”