BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (AP) – The West Indies completed a tense, hard-fought victory over England by five wickets in the extended final session of the third day of the third and final cricket Test match at Kensington Oval on Sunday.
The hosts were set 192 to win and were guided to their target by a fifth wicket partnership of 108 between left-hander Darren Bravo, who was out for 82 with four runs required, and Jermaine Blackwood.
Blackwood, missed on a stumping by wicket-keeper Jos Buttler off spinner Joe Root when he was four, followed his first-innings top score of 85 with an unbeaten 47. He hit the winning boundary five minutes into the additional half-hour granted by umpires Bruce Oxenford and Billy Bowden, giving the West Indies 194 and levelling the three-match series at 1-1.
Until Bravo and Blackwood came together at 80 for four on 40-year-old left-hander Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s dismissal for zero in the second over after tea, the match was evenly balanced.
Buttler’s blunder was the turning point. Neither Blackwood nor Bravo made an error afterwards as they guided the West Indies home to the delight of the minority locals in a crowd of 11 000 dominated by an estimated 6 000 traveling England supporters.
Summarised scores: England 257 and 123 (Jason Holder 3-15, Jerome Taylor 3-37, Veeraswammy Permaul 3-43). West Indies 189 and 194-5 (Darren Bravo 82, Jermaine Blackwood 43 not out). West Indies won by five wickets.
