West Indies delivered the first blow on England in the 3-match series as they outclassed the hosts by 4 wickets in the first Test in Southampton on Sunday to take a 1-0 lead.
Chasing 200 for victory on Day 5, the Windies rode on a superb 95 from Jermaine Blackwood to win the match in the final session of the match at the Ageas Bowl stadium.
West Indies have never lost a Test while chasing a target of 200 or less and they made sure to keep that record intact, winning the first international match after cricket's return following the 117-day hiatus due to the Covid-19 crisis. This is also the first time West Indies have won a match in the longest format in England in 22 Tests.
Sadly they didn't have any fans to celebrate the win with due to the matches being played in empty stadiums as a precautionary measure. But nonetheless, they will always be the first cricket team to register a win during a pandemic.
The Windies had bowled out England for 313 in their 2nd innings in the first session on Sunday, with the hosts taking a 199-run lead.
West Indies had the worst-possible start to their run chase as opener John Campbell had to retire hurt in the 5th over after getting hit on the toe by a Jofra Archer yorker.
The Barbados-born paceman Archer then dismissed Kraigg Brathwaite for 4 with a moving ball that the opener edged onto the stumps before he trapped Shamarh Brooks lbw.
Mark Wood bowled Shai Hope for 9 to leave the West Indies in trouble at 27 for 3 before Roston Chase and Blackwood set about repairing the damage.
The duo added 73 runs for the fourth-wicket before Archer had Chase caught behind for 37 with a fine delivery but Shane Dowrich provided solid support to Blackwood from there on, adding 68 for the fifth wicket partnership which put them within touching distance of the target.
Blackwood finished with 95 off 154, missing out on his 2nd hundred in the format and first in England, a knock which all West Indies cricket fans will remember for a long time.
Earlier, England had resumed their 2nd innings at 284 for 8 but the tail-enders could only add 29 runs to their overnight total. Fast bowler Shannon Gabriel finished with figures of 5 for 75 — his 6th fiv5-wicket haul in Tests — while Chase and Alzarri Joseph picked up two wickets apiece.
Zak Crawley was England's top-scorer in the 2nd innings and in the match with 76 runs while Dom Sibley made 50 but their failure in the first innings meant they were always behind their opponents in the match.
The second and third Tests will be played at the Old Trafford stadium in Manchester from July 16.