Jermaine Blackwood, Shannon Gabriel help West Indies beat England by 4 wickets in 1st Test

Image Credits: Twitter/@ICC

Shannon Gabriel bagged a five-wicket haul before Jermaine Blackwood smashed a blistering knock of 95 runs to help West Indies beat England by four wickets in the opening Test of the three-match series at the Rose Bowl Cricket Ground in Southampton on Sunday.

Chasing a mere target of 200 runs to win, the Caribbean side lost Kraigg Brathwaite (4), Shai Hope (nine) and Shamarh Brooks (0) cheaply, while John Campbell got retired hurt after being hit on the toe by Jofra Archer's delivery.

Blackwood then not only hammered a calm and composed knock off 154 balls but also stitched crucial partnerships of 73 and 68 runs with Roston Chase (37) and Shane Dowrich (20), respectively to help the Caribbean side cross the mark.

John Campbell, who returned to the crease to bat again, and skipper Jason Holder remained unbeaten at the crease for eight and 14 runs, respectively.

For England, Jofra Archer bagged three wickets while conceding 44 runs. Stand-in skipper Ben Stokes claimed two wickets, while Mark Wood managed to add a wicket to his account.

Earlier in the day, England resumed their second innings at 284 for four, with Mark Wood and Jofra Archer batting at the crease.

However, the hosts failed to add much runs to their scoreboard on the fifth day and were bundled out for 313, setting a 200-run target for the West Indies.

Zak Crawley was the top scorer for England in their second innings with 127-ball 76, while openers Rory Burns (42) and Dom Sibley (50) and stand-in skipper Ben Stokes (46) also made notable contributions.

Shannon Gabriel proved to be tormentor-in-chief for the Caribbean side as he finished with brilliant figures of five for 75, while Roston Chase and Alzarri Joseph claimed two wickets each.

Meanwhile, skipper Jason Holder also chipped in with a wicket.

Earlier, Kraigg Brathwaite (65) and Shane Dowrich (61) notched up half-century each to help West Indies post 318 in in reply to England's first-inning score of 204.

The two sides will next lock horns in the second Test of the three-match series, beginning July 16 at Old Trafford Cricket Ground.