West Indies beat England by four wickets in the opening Test of a three-match series to take a 1-0 lead. Set a target of 200 on a Day 5 pitch, West Indies relied on Jermaine Blackwood’s calm head and little resistance from the middle order to seal the victory and defeat England. Blackwood hit 95 and took Windies closer to victory after Jofra Archer had threatened to derail their chase by cleaning up the top order. But Holder’s men held on and romped to a memorable win on cricket’s return to action. They were widely praised from all circles for their top-notch performances and many West Indies legends, including Viv Richards, Darren Sammy and Ian Bishop, also took to social media to applaud their effort. Jermaine Blackwood, Shannon Gabriel Star As Windies Beat England by Four Wickets.
The defeat was the first time England have lost the opening match of a home Test series since 2003 while West Indies opened their ICC World Test Championship points account with a sensational win. it was a complete team performance with many chipping in with notable performances throughout the Test match. Take a look at how West Indies legends reacted to the win. ENG vs WI 1st Test 2020: Cricket Fraternity Congratulate West Indies for Dominant Win Over England
You Make Us Proud - Viv Richards
First game after the break belongs to us!
Some gritty performance from the lads. This team deserves the win in this game. Congratulations boys
You make us proud... 👊🏿 #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/wYAVRGOwh6
— Sir Vivian Richards (@ivivianrichards) July 12, 2020
Dwayne Bravo Congratulates West Indies Team
Congratulations !! Well done to the entire team Captain Jason Holder and coach Phil Simmons pic.twitter.com/Cboc0dYePP
— Dwayne DJ Bravo (@DJBravo47) July 12, 2020
Darren Sammy Reacts to Memorable Win
Well done to @windiescricket played with patience great skill and maturity we’ll lead by their captain @Jaseholder98 #ENGvWI 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
— Daren Sammy (@darensammy88) July 12, 2020
Ian Bishop Delighted With Perfect Start
Can’t speak highly enough about the skill and character shown by @windiescricket . Very well coached and led by @Coachsim13 and @Jaseholder98 . Kudos to Gabriel and Blackwood as well for outstanding contributions. Yes still two test to go but good start👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻.
— Ian bishop (@irbishi) July 12, 2020
Darren Ganga Praises West Indies for Brilliant Win
Absolutely brilliant by the West Indies, 1st Test win of the 3 match series. It was always going to be tough in the UK, but great character and resolve by @Jaseholder98 and his team. Critical contributions made by Gabriel & Blackwood. Celebrate and set your sights on the next one
— Daren Ganga (@DarenGanga) July 12, 2020
Great Test Match Victory - Brian Lara
Great Test match victory!
Well done to @Jaseholder98 and the boys.
To the coaching and management staff great job getting the guys ready. #ENGvWI
— Brian Lara (@BrianLara) July 12, 2020
Courtney Walsh Congratulates Team
Great characters shown in this win by some key players.. congratulations to coach , capt and team https://t.co/sSEMl0kAz6
— Courtney A Walsh (@CuddyWalsh) July 12, 2020
England though had themselves to blame for the defeat after pinning the visitors to 27/3 at one stage. Archer’s fiery spell, in which he dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite and Shamarh Brooks and forced John Campbell into retiring hurt after hitting his toe with a deadly yorker, put England on top.
Mark Wood then crashed through Shai Hope’s gate leaving West Indies reeling in a target of 200. But two dropped chances and a missed run-out opportunity of Blackwood, set West Indies rolling and despite another couple of hiccups on the way they crossed the line.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 13, 2020 10:57 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).