Jermaine Blackwood rode his luck and guided West Indies closer to the 200-run target in the first Test before a moment’s lapse of concentration saw him hole out to mid-off, falling just five runs short of what would have been a superb hundred.

His knock, though, assumes significance not just because it helped the West Indies go 1-0 up in the three-Test series versus England, but also for the fact that he got those runs after the visitors were reduced to 27 for 3.

The confidence shown in him by captain Jason Holder and head coach Phil Simmons played an equally important role behind his success, Blackwood acknowledged.

“When you know that the captain has all confidence in you, it just makes you feel good. I know Jason from way back from my under-15 days, so he knows what I’m capable of doing,” he told the Jamaica Observer.

“At no point in time when I was going to bat in the second innings did I feel pressure. Just before I went out to bat, the coach (Simmons) and the captain both told me to just play my natural game and be selective as well.”

More than missing out on a well-deserved century, the middle-order batsman is disappointed for not being able to stay till the end.

“I was very disappointed with myself when I got out. It was very emotional for me when I got out, not because I got out, but for not being able to take my team across the line. I wasn’t thinking about the hundred, I was just thinking about winning the game for my team.”

Much like the West Indies think-tank’s strong backing for Blackwood, England head coach Chris Silverwood has thrown his weight behind a struggling Jos Buttler, saying the ’keeper-batsman looked good with the bat in the first Test and will be given “the best chance to succeed” in the remaining two Tests.

“I’m not going to go down that road yet of putting Jos under pressure, because I don’t think it’s going to help him. So first and foremost, we want to give Jos the best opportunity to succeed,” Silverwood said.

“Jos looked very good in the first innings. He just needs to go and make those big scores now, which he knows as well.

“From our point of view, it’s about making sure he feels confident in the environment he’s in,” Silverwood added.

Buttler became a regular in the England Test set-up after a very successful IPL stint for Rajasthan Royals in 2018. He finished as the top scorer for the Royals that season, smashing 548 runs at an average of 54.80.

Following that successful IPL stint, he returned to England’s Test squad after a gap of 18 months for the two-match series versus Pakistan in May-June. He made an immediate impact, hitting 67 in the first Test at Lord’s and then an impressive 80 in the next game at Headingley.

Thereafter, in the home series versus India, Buttler played in all the five Tests and was also England’s highest run-getter (349 runs).

While the West Indies’ faith in Blackwood has paid rich dividends, it remains to be seen if Buttler can put his struggles behind to repay Silverwood’s belief.