When West Indies beat England for the first time in Test cricket

A Clifford Roach double century and nine wickets from Baron Constantine had guided West Indies to its first-ever Test cricket victory in 1930.

Clifford Roach scored West Indies' first-ever double century in Test cricket against England at Guyana in 1930.

The England-West Indies rivalry in Test cricket is one of the most closely-fought rivalries among all nations playing the format. The ongoing 'Raise The Bat' series is a prime example of this. 

After losing the first Test by four wickets, England fought back to register a competitive first-innings total of 469 against West Indies in the second encounter. This three-match series could be yet another entertaining affair between the two teams.

Meanwhile, England was one of the first two teams to play an international Test match in 1877, the other being Australia. West Indies had joined the fray 51 years later in 1928 with an away series versus England.

The Caribbean nation was whitewashed 3-0 by the host, losing all the games by an innings and crossing 200 only twice. After this initial roadblock, the Windies didn't play a match in the format for almost two full years.  

In 1930, England visited West Indies for a four-match series. The Windies had a point to prove after failing to put up a fight against the more experienced English players last time around. 

READ |

However, the home side was trailing 1-0 after the first two contests, despite putting up a decent show. The third Test at Georgetown, Guyana, was a must-win clash for West Indies. The team's skipper Maurice Fernandes won the toss and elected to bat. 

From that moment, there was no turning back for the Windies. A second-wicket partnership of 192 between opener Clifford Roach, who scored the country's first-ever Test double century, and George Headley propelled the side to 471 in its first innings.

In reply, England could make only 145, thanks mainly to four-wicket hauls from new-ball bowlers Baron Constantine and George Francis. Patsy Hendren top-scored for the visitor with 56.

Taking a 326-run lead into its second innings, West Indies managed to add 290 more runs, thereby setting England a mammoth 617 as the target for the win. Headley had completed his second ton of the game.

Eventually, England was bowled out for 327 as Constantine picked up five wickets. West Indies finally opened its Test cricket account with a 289-run victory. The series, however, ended 1-1.

Till date, West Indies enjoys a 58-49 head-to-head record over England in 158 Test matches, with 51 games ending in a draw.