Blackwood shines as West Indies beat England in first test

Cricket - First Test - England v West Indies - Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium, Southampton, Britain - July 12, 2020 West Indies' Jermaine Blackwood in action, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Mike Hewitt/Pool via REUTERS

Jermaine Blackwood's fighting 95 in the second innings helped West Indies seal a four-wicket win over England on a gripping final day of the first test at the Ageas Bowl on Sunday.

Chasing 200 to win, West Indies lost three early wickets but Blackwood shared a 73-run stand with Roston Chase (37) to revive their hopes before skipper Jason Holder and John Campbell steadied the ship to guide the visitors home.

West Indies took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series, with the second and third tests to be held in Manchester without fans present in the stadium due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cricket - First Test - England v West Indies - Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium, Southampton, Britain - July 12, 2020 West Indies' Jermaine Blackwood ducks a bouncer from England's Jofra Archer, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Mike Hewitt/Pool via REUTERS

Earlier, England resumed their second innings on 284-8 and were bowled out for 313. West Indies paceman Shannon Gabriel claimed his sixth five-wicket haul in tests, finishing with 5-75.

(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar and Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)

Cricket - First Test - England v West Indies - Rose Bowl Cricket Stadium, Southampton, Britain - July 12, 2020 West Indies' John Campbell and Jason Holder celebrate winning the test as England's Rory Burns and teammates look on dejected, as play resumes behind closed doors following the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) Adrian Dennis/Pool via REUTERS