Jermaine Blackwood, the West Indies middle-order batsman, played a superb 95-run knock as the tourists beat England by four wickets in the first Test of the thre🌌e-match series at Southampton on S🍸unday.
Chasing 200 to win on the last day, West Indies were reeling at 27-3 after England speedster Jofra Archer’s early double strike. Blackwood, however, held firm until, in sight of his second Test century, he drove England stand-in captain Ben Stokes to James Anderson at mid-off, with Jason Holder & Co. needing just 11 runs for victory. But John Campbell, forced to retire hurt on one after being struck on the toe by Archer, returned to hit th🐻e winning runs.
Holder, the world’s top-ranked Test all-rounder, remained unbeaten on 14 at the other end.
Although West Indies hold the Wisden Trophy, they haven’t won a Test series in England for 32 years. But this victory has put them 1-0 up with two more to go in a behind closed doors series ahead of the second Test at Old Trafford in Manchester, starting from July 16.
After guiding the Windies to a sensational win on the resumption of international cricket, Blackwood took to Twitter to expresses his delight. “Big team WIN today @windiescricket. We worked really hard for this! Job not done yet but great start. #WINdies,” he wrote.
Big team WIN to𓃲day We worked really hard for this! Job 🍃not done yet but great start.
— Jermaine Blackwood (@JBlackwood100)
♋Well, it might have been a different story for England on Sunday had they not given Blackwood several reprieves.
The 28-year-old was batting on just five when he edged off-spinner Dom Bess only for Stokes, moving at slip, to drop the chance. And Blackwood moved on to 20 when wicketkeeper Jos Buttler floored a one꧅-handed chance down the legside off Stokes. Leg-byes were signalled, but the Jamaican would have been out on review had Buttler grabbed the catch.
