Bridgetown, Barbados: West Indies middle-order batsman Jermaine Blackwood says he received strong encouragement from his senior partner Darren Bravo that helped inspire him to play a major supporting role in their five-wicket victory over England in the third and final Test.
Blackwood was unbeaten on 47 in a crucial fifth-wicket stand of 108 with Bravo that propelled the West Indies to victory inside three days to level the series three-match series 1-1.
The 23-year-old top scored with a stroke-filled 82 in the first innings of his team.
“It was a very special moment. To carry the team over the line is a very special feeling. It is very important to play a big role. I was just trying to take it step by step and eventually get across the line,” said Blackwood on Tuesday.
“He (Bravo) was just telling me let’s get to ten runs and each time we get to ten runs we go to a next ten so we were just rotating the strike aggressive and patient at the same time”.
While Bravo anchored the partnership with a top score of 82, Blackwood hit the winning runs and also earned the Man-of the-Match award.
Earlier in the series, he made his maiden Test century and ended the three Tests with 311 runs (average 77.75).
Chasing 192 for victory, the Windies reached their target late in the evening to seize their first win over England at Kensington Oval in 25 years.
“I was not thinking about any hundred I was thinking about getting the team as closer to England total as possible so I was thinking to get more runs on the board so we could get closer to the total,” he said.
“It was a matter of just get in bat some balls and rotate the strike because Bravo was there and he was batting pretty good so I was just there playing a supporting role”.
Blackwood has emerged as the biggest mover in the latest International Cricket Council’s player rankings soaring 31 places to a career-high 37th spot.
