SPORTZWIKI : Jul 14, 2020, 08:03 AM
Cricket Desk: The ICC World Test Championship resumed last week as West Indies clashed with England in the first international match, post the COVID-19 enforced break. Jason Holder's men defeated the hosts and registered their first win of the competition.Ben Stokes led England in this match and the home side posted 204 runs on the board in the first innings. The skipper top-scored with 43(97) but it was the duo of Holder (6-42) and Shannon Gabriel (4-62) who stole the show. They combined forces to dismiss all the English batsmen as West Indies got the upper hand in the match.Kraigg Brathwaite and Shane Dowrich's half centuries then powered the Caribbean team to a total of 318 in their first innings. Middle-order batsman Roston Chase supported them with a 142-ball 47 as the visitors took a 114-run lead, despite Stokes' four-wicket haul.The English team batted patiently in the second innings, with their top six batsmen scoring at a strike rate of less than 60. Zak Crawley and Dom Sibley notched up a fifty each, while Rory Burns scored 42 off 104 balls. The lower order could not provide much fight as Gabriel's five-wicket haul ensured that the Caribbean outfit were set a target of 200.In pursuit, West Indies got off to a horrendous start. They lost the trio of Brathwaite, Shai Hope, and Shamarh Brooks in the first 12 overs, while John Campbell due to a foot injury. Thus, at that juncture, it seemed as if the hosts would get over the line.However, a special knock from Jermaine Blackwood saved the day for the visitors. He scored 95 off 154 deliveries, which comprised 12 fours. Though he unfortunately missed a well-deserved hundred, Holder and Campbell ensured that there were no further hiccups.West Indies had played only one series in the ICC World Test Championship, where the Indian cricket team blanked them 2-0. However, courtesy their victory over England, they have moved up to seventh spot in the ICC World Test Championship table.This ICC World Test Championship series has three matches, meaning the winner of one game will earn 40 points. England had an opportunity to break into the top three but they squandered that chance at The Ageas Bowl.However, with two matches at Old Trafford remaining, the Three Lions would be hoping to do better and move up the ICC World Test Championship ladder.