Jermaine Blackwood reveals Ben Stokes tried to goad him during match-winning innings

Jermaine Blackwood has revealed how Ben Stokes tried to goad him into a mistake during his match-winning innings for West Indies in the first Test.

Blackwood scored 95 to lead West Indies to victory by four wickets after slumping to 27 for three chasing 200 to go 1-0 up in the series.

Blackwood was recalled for this tour after playing just one Test since 2017 when he appeared as a concussion substitute in October last year. He earned a call up as the leading run scorer in  domestic cricket where he had added more discipline to his batting. Blackwood is a talented ball striker but had a reputation for recklessness which brought inconsistency at Test level. He was too easily lured into traps by bowling attacks and he lapsed back to type in the first innings in Southampton when he slashed Dom Bess to mid-off.

England clearly felt he had not changed and when he walked out in the second innings with his team in deep trouble with Jofra Archer and Mark Wood striking early and opener John Campbell off the field injured. Blackwood was given a real working over with the short ball by Archer and there were words exchanged as England tried to rile him. But he put his head down and worked hard with Roston Chase, an unflappable calming influence at the other end, to steady the innings in a partnership that set up victory.

It was only when five runs short of his hundred that his concentration lapsed and he tried to hammer a Ben Stokes half volley for four and was caught at mid off.

“I went out there from the first ball Ben Stokes was in my ears,” he said. “I was not paying too much attention to that. I wanted to score the runs and get my team over the line. Once I am there I was going to put them under pressure because they know they can’t bowl a loose ball at me. They are the ones under pressure not me. I just wanted to stay there as long as possible.”

Blackwood owes call up for this tour to Shimron Hetmyer and Darren Bravo choosing to stay at home and at the age of 28, and after 29 Tests, this could be his last chance. He showed he is better at controlling his emotions in Southampton and now has a chance to build on his performance with West Indies sensing their first series win in England for 32 years.

Joe Root rejoined the England camp on Tuesday after the birth of his second child. He netted at Emirates Old Trafford but England delayed naming their squad for the Test until Wednesday. Joe Denly appears certain to be dropped to make way for Root’s return but the bigger decision will be over the bowling attack and whether Stuart Broad is recalled.

Reuniting James Anderson and Broad is one possibility but that would be at the expense of picking Jofra Archer and Mark Wood together. Old Trafford is the quickest pitch in the country and can reverse which would make Wood dangerous with the older ball although the lack of cricket this summer means outfields and used pitches on the square are much less abrasive and conducive for reverse swing.

James Anderson gave England control as usual in Southampton and was excellent in the first innings but less effective as they chased wickets in the run chase. Root faces a big call.

Phil Simmons, the West Indies coach, said his fast bowlers have recovered and are fit for the second Test suggesting an unchanged team. “You guard against complacency by just trying to do the same things you did before the first Test,” he said. “Right now that Test match is history. We've got to be thinking about what we do from Thursday to Monday."