Ben Stokes was in my ear from ball one, but it didn’t faze me: Jermaine Blackwood

Blackwood scored his maiden Test ton and took the visitors to a four-wicket victory.

View : 1K

2 Min Read

Ben Stokes and Jermaine Blackwood
info
Ben Stokes and Jermaine Blackwood. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

Jermaine Blackwood, the talented West Indies batsman, reckons that England tried to ruffle his feathers during the opening Test at the Rose Bowl in Southampton. He said that opposition skipper Ben Stokes, who stood in for Joe Root, was trying to sledge him in playing a rash shot. Blackwood came to bat after the Caribbean team lost three early wickets, chasing 200 in the fourth innings.

He scored 95 runs and helped the visiting team win the Test by four wickets and also take a crucial 1-0 lead in the three-match series. Blackwood blended caution with aggression and scored 95 runs with the help of 12 fours. When he got out, West Indies needed only 11 runs to win. The right-hander said that he didn’t allow the Brits to get under his skin, staying unfazed.

They knew they couldn’t bowl a loose ball at me, says Jermaine Blackwood

“From the first ball the captain Ben Stokes was in my ear. I think they were trying to get me to play a rash shot but it didn’t faze me at any point. Once I was at the crease they were the ones under pressure, not me,” Blackwood was quoted as saying in an interview with Daily Mail.

“They knew they couldn’t bowl a loose ball at me. I can’t remember what was said but it was nothing bad. That’s cricket. You’ll always hear a bit of talking and that’s how it should be played,” he added.

Blackwood didn’t make a great start to the game. In the first innings, he started with a couple of fours, but then got out, trying to loft Dominic Bess over the off-side. He was, well and truly, able to make amends second time around.

Blackwood also drew praises from Caribbean skipper Jason Holder, who also contributed with his career best six-wicket haul in the first innings of the encounter. “I know when he crosses the line he’ll give it his all,” Holder mentioned.

It also happened to be Blackwood’s maiden Test century after he scored 11 half-centuries in his first 28 Tests. He will now be looking to carry forward the momentum in the second Test, starting July 16 at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

googletelegraminstagramwhatsappyoutubethreadstwitter

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store