Blackwood stars as West Indies beat England by four wickets

Jermaine Blackwood made a superb 95 as the West Indies beat England by four wickets in the first Test at Southampton yesterday.

The West Indies, set 200 to win on the last day, were reeling at 27/3 after England fast bowler Jofra Archer’s early double strike.

Blackwood, however, held firm until, in sight of just his second Test century, he drove England stand-in captain Ben Stokes to James Anderson at mid-off, with the visitors needing just 11 more runs to win.

But John Campbell, forced to retire hurt on one after being struck on the toe by Archer, returned to hit the winning runs.

West Indies captain Jason Holder, the world’s top-ranked

Test all-rounder ahead of Stokes, was 14 not out.

The match was a personal and tactical triumph for Holder, who took a Test-best 6/42 in England’s lowly first innings 204 after Stokes, leading the side in the absence of Joe Root, won the toss and batted.

With West Indies needing exactly 100 more for victory, Barbados-born quick Archer defied a docile pitch to produce a rearing 144km/h delivery that Roston Chase, on 37, could only divert to Buttler via his glove and helmet.

It was the end of a valuable stand of 73.

The diminutive Blackwood pressed on, cover-driving both Bess and Anderson, England’s all-time leading Test wickettaker, for two of his dozen boundaries in a 154-ball innings.

West Indies fast bowler Shannon Gabriel took 5/75 in 21.2 overs.

Archer then reduced West Indies to 7/2, having gone wicketless in the first innings after being selected ahead of dropped veteran Stuart Broad.

He got Kraigg Brathwaite to play on and had Shamarh

Brooks lbw for a duck.

Shai Hope, whose two Test hundreds came in a win over England at Headingley three years ago, was then bowled for nine by Mark Wood.

But it was England’s loss of five wickets for just 30 runs late on Saturday, a collapse sparked by Holder’s dismissal of Stokes, that proved more important at the finish. —