West Indies beat England, first Test: List of records broken
The first Test at the Ageas Oval went down to the final session on Day 5 as West Indies handed England a four-wicket defeat. After producing initial breakthroughs, the English seamers were unable to get the better of Caribbean batsmen during the day. Notably, a match-defining knock by Jermaine Blackwood guided the visitors to victory. Here are the records broken in the match.
How did the first Test pan out?
Batting first, England were bundled out for 204 in the first innings. WI skipper Jason Holder scalped a six-for, while Shannon Gabriel claimed four wickets. In reply, the visitors gained a 114-run lead by posting 318. Vital contributions from the top order guided England past 300 in the following innings. Chasing 200, West Indies were duly powered by Jermaine Blackwood.
WI's Test record in England (post 2000)
Having sealed victory in the series opener, West Indies won their third Test on the England soil post-2000. During the period, they have lost 16 and drawn three Test matches in England. Their previous Test victory in the nation came in the 2017 Headingley Test, wherein they defeated England by five wickets. The only other win was recorded 20 years ago (Birmingham).
Double of 4,000 runs and 150 wickets for Stokes
Although captain Ben Stokes' Test didn't end on a positive note, he reached a special milestone. During the match, he achieved the double of 4,000 runs and 150 wickets in Test cricket. Stokes (64) became the second fastest to the landmark after West Indian maestro Sir Garry Sobers (63). The list also includes Sir Ian Botham, Jacques Kallis, Kapil Dev and Daniel Vettori.
Sixth five-for for Gabriel in Test cricket
West Indian fast bowler Shannon Gabriel made a blistering return to Test cricket after recovering from a prolonged ankle injury. He snapped up a total number of nine wickets in the match. However, his searing spell in the second innings grabbed eyeballs as he finished with five wickets for 75 runs. This was Gabriel's sixth five-for in the longest format.
Records scripted by Holder in the Test
West Indian skipper Jason Holder claimed a crucial six-wicket haul with England's innings folding for 204 in the first innings. He returned with bowling figures of 6/42, his best in Test cricket. Interestingly, he got rid of Ben Stokes twice in the Test. With this, Holder has now dismissed the opposition captain on 15 occasions in Test cricket, joint-second highest with Imran Khan.
