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Can West Indies limit England to a chaseable total? © Getty
Momentous victory!!
That is it!! Jubilation in the West Indies camp. Campbell tucked one around the corner to script a momentous victory for the visitors, bringing back memories of their triumph in Leeds. Blackwood led the way with a splendid 95 - the kind of innings that would be reminisced fondly by the Caribbean fans. He played with trademark flair, but also showed the required temperament to paddle through tricky spells.
What about England? Archer bowled with menace. The rest of the attack too bowled with penetration. However, they would rue the missed opportunities. In a hard-fought game, chances have to be taken.
Welcome back, cricket!
Blackwood falls after defining innings
Blackwood continues to impress. He ramps Stokes over the cordon for a boundary. Only 12 more needed. The countdown starts for the Windies.
Oh, it looks like I have jinxed the man. He tried to play his trademark loft, only to be caught by Anderson at mid-off. End of a splendid innings. Blackwood had his share of escapes, but he played with loads of self belief and also showed the required technique and grit to get through some tough spells. Memorable knock
Inching closer...
Less than 30 needed for victory!! West Indies inching closer to an epoch-making victory. Blackwood playing the innings of his life. England need wickets and plenty of them.
Tick, tock, tick, tock--Every over, every ball, every second .. it's all down to subtracting down from that 200 for the West Indies. They've now reached that sub-50 zone. And England aren't doing themselves any favour, bowling Archer and Wood into the dust. Alas, this is starting to look simple.
Tea, Day 5
Which bowler would the opposition least like to face now? Nasser Hussain has often revealed captaining to that tune but Ben Stokes had different ideas after Lunch in Southampton. Jofra Archer, who had figures of 2 for 13 in the morning session, got the ball only halfway in the middle session. And when he did, England broke through a 74-run stand between Roston Chase and Jermaine Blackwood just like that.
Blackwood though went on to his 11th Test fifty, keeping an end taut and keeping West Indies in the hunt. Ten minutes before Tea, he lofted James Anderson over mid-off, summing up not just England's decline from the mid-session Archer-induced high but also the nature of his own innings -- that perfect mix of attack and defence which Michael Holding keeps asking of him. West Indies now need only 57 more runs to win from the last session, with six wickets intact.
Our man Shashikant Singh has reminded us of this old Jofra tweet. There's one for every occasion...
England keep letting go of more chances
Buttler can't catch Blackwood down the leg-side, Zak Crawley misses a simple run out opportunity from cover (with both batsmen at one end!) and Burns then misses a catch at slip. Beaten by the pace of the ball there. Is this the moment for West Indies?
Stokes lets one go off Bess..
Doesn't drop the catch at slip but he anticipated the shot from Chase, moved to his right and the top-edge flew to his left! Was a definite chance if had stayed put. Oh Bess, so many chose shaves against his bowling..
Umpire asks Anderson to stay off danger areas
That's it. That's the update.
Steady from Blackwood, Chase after lunch
Wood and Bess started the session, and it may have allowed these two to find their feet after the break. Not much has happened off the pitch, so West Indies will be looking at just biding time and building a partnership here. 200 remains a target in sight.
Lunch, Day 5
Can Tino Best untweet it? His comments might or might not have done the trick but Jofra Archer found pace and rhythm again on the fifth morning in Southampton, tearing through the West Indies who are chasing 200 for a win. The visitors have never lost a Test chasing 200 or less in the fourth innings.
The departure of Campbell, forced to retire-hurt after a blow on his boot from Archer, triggered the top-order collapse for the West Indies. Archer picked up the wickets of Kraigg Brathwaite (bowled) and Shamarh Brooks (lbw) in consecutive overs, getting both the wickets with deliveries that came back in and followed a slew of back of a length balls.
Wood strikes with gold
And that means Shai Hope's wicket. Gets it coming in after two back of a length deliveries, and bowls Hope. 27 for 3!
Brooks goes to Archer too
Short, short, and then full and straight on the stumps. Plumb. Brooks doesn't even think of a review there. Archer's doing everything right here. He's got the pace and the rhythm.
Now Brathwaite is gone
This is no toothpaste from Jofra Acher. Slips in the fuller nip-backer after a series of back of length balls and he's got Brathwaite inside-edging onto his stumps. Looks in some decent rhythm here, does Archer. West Indies have effectively lost two quick batsmen for now...
Campbell retires hurt
He was hit by an Archer yorker on the boot first-ball, and it's done some damage. He received some treatment on the field but then limped off, shoe off his right foot. Shai Hope walks out to join his partner from the famous Leeds heist.
What the buzz
@Sunilkumar, my only money is on this Test being a cracker. My editor sees this game going into the last hour!
Still think England going to win this. 200 will not be an easy task by any means. #WIvsEng What's say @prat1204 @cricbuzz
12 Jul 2020
12 Jul 2020
West Indies 200 to win
Archer gloves a short ball from Gabriel behind, reviews to catch his breath and walks back a minute later. Gabriel has five as a result and West Indies need 200 to win the first Test. What's your prediction? Going to be a cracker.... and West Indies, I see, have taken the heavy roller.
Deepu with a couple of wonderful opposing stats to spice things up:
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West Indies have never lost a match chasing 200 or fewer in the fourth innings
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Since 2010, only twice teams have successfully chased a 100+ in fourth innings against England
Wood is gone!
Clearly he was the more dangerous batsman out there (even though Archer has hit one brutish extra cover drive already!) and Gabriel has accounted for him. Not before the pair added 19 runs to the overnight lead. Wood gets a bit hasty and top-edges the cut to backward point. Anderson walks out and we might see Jofra teeing off here. Or will we?
Welcome to Day 5
Our all-day cribbing about the pitch yesterday look so vain in front of what we saw in the last hour of play. Jason Holder breaking a 98-run partnership with Ben Stokes's wicket and setting England on a slide. The hosts would go on to lose five wickets for 30 runs, with Shannon Gabriel and Alzarri Joseph running them ragged. Gokul Gopal beautifully sums up West Indies's patience game in this piece. Rob Johnston touched upon 22-year-old Zak Crawley's performance, and what it meant for Joe Denly.
But before you think too far ahead, there's still two wickets to be taken. England over the years have shown that their lower order can be more than handy. The lead now stands at 170 and West Indies would ideally like to keep it at that. At worse, nothing more than 200.
