West Indies stun England by 4 wickets to win the first Test match
The number 8 ranked Test side West Indies stunned England by
4 wickets on the fifth and final day of the first Test match played at Ageas Bowl,
Southampton on Sunday. With this win, West Indies got off the mark in the ICC
Test Championship points table. This was the first series after the COVID as West Indies arrived on England shores on the 9th and finished the quarantine period.
Starting on the overnight score of 284 for 8, Jofra Archer
played with positive intent adding vital runs with attacking strokes. Shannon
Gabriel got the breakthrough for West Indies dismissing Mark Wood. Wood tried
to hit a boundary but was caught by the wicketkeeper. Archer hit some lovely
boundaries. Gabriel took the final wicket getting rid of Archer with a review
for caught. The umpire gave it out and Archer decided to review it, the decision
was retained. England was bowled out for 313 with a lead of 199.
Chasing 200 runs to win, Jofra Archer bowled with pace and
troubled John Campbell. Campbell retired hurt due to the ball hit on his toe.
Archer dismissed Kraigg Braithwaite which hit the inside edge and hit the
stumps. He then dismissed Brooks with a full delivery. Shai Hope smashed 2
lovely boundaries. Mark Wood replaced Archer and got the wicket of Hope to
leave West Indies in trouble at 27 for 3. At lunch, West Indies made 35 for 3 with
165 runs more needed.
The second session saw a much better approach from Chase and
Blackwood. Blackwood was lucky but trusted his attacking mood while Chase with
played solid defense. Jofra Archer produced a beauty of a bouncer to dismiss
Chase. Chase and Blackwood added 73 runs for the 4th wicket. Shane
Dowrich was caught at slips but decided to review the decision, the decision
was overturned. Blackwood on the other continued his attacking approach to
reach his fifty off 89 balls. At the end of the 2nd session, West Indies
was 143 for 4.
After the tea break, Blackwood and Dowrich played Archer
with caution by taking singles. It was a superb bowling effort by Archer who
kept on coming against the West Indies batsmen. Dowrich survived when Ben
Stokes delivered a no-ball. In the same over, Stokes dismissed him to end a 68
runs stand for the 5th wicket.
Jason Holder came to the crease and looked edgy while Blackwood
showed his class with aggressive strokes. With 11 runs required to win,
Blackwood was caught by mid off for a superb 95. John Campbell who retired came
back and struggled with his running. Campbell hit the winning runs to ensure
that West Indies won the match by 4 wickets.
It was an amazing Test match that went right down the wire.
Holder career-best figures of 6 for 42 helped West Indies bowl out England for
204 with conditions helping for fast bowlers. West Indies batted positively and
got a substantial 114 runs lead.
A brilliant effort by Gabriel and Joseph on the fourth
evening helped West Indies comeback into the game. England got a lead of 199. Blackwood
95, Chase 37 was enough to give the visitors a remarkable win.
For his 9-wicket haul, Shannon Gabriel was awarded the man
of the match. West Indies takes a 1-0 lead in the 3 match Test series. The
second Test will be played at Old Trafford, Manchester from 16th
July.
West Indies 318 in 102 overs ( Braithwaite 65, Dowrich 61, Chase 47,
Stokes 4/47, Anderson 3/62) and 200 for 6 in 64.2 overs ( Blackwood 95, Chase
37, Archer 3/45) beat England 204 in 67.3 overs ( Ben Stokes 43, Buttler 35,
Bess 31*, Holder 6/42, Gabriel 4/62) and 313 in 111.2 overs ( Crawley 76, Stokes 46, Sibley 50, Gabriel 5/75,
Joseph 2/45) by 4 wickets
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| West Indies stun England by 4 wickets to win the first Test |
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