Jermaine Blackwood's impactful second-innings 95 that helped West Indies chase down 200 on a deteriorating fifth-day track in Southampton and go 1-0 up in the three-match series against England, also earned him rich praise from one of the most popular voices from the Caribbean, Ian Bishop.
Bishop, the former pacer-turned-commentator, took special note of how Blackwood overcame the disappointment of being out of the Test side since October 2017, motivated himself to go through the hard grind at the domestic level and came back with a bang.
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Blackwood did bat in a Test against India last year, but that happened accidentally after he was asked to fill in as a concussion substitute.
The 28-year-old ever-attacking right-hander might not have made this trip either if not for the decision to opt-out by Darren Bravo, Shimron Hetmyer due to health concerns amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
His numbers - an average of 31.25 after 29 Tests - explain why there is always a question mark hanging over Blackwood's head. But from Bishop's perspective, they tell us only half the man's story.
"The whole background to Blackwood's comeback is fantastic. In his Test debut, he got a half-century against New Zealand and was dropped for the next match because he had come in to replace someone who was injured. Then he played two more Tests. He came to South Africa and played a Test there and got dropped again," Bishop told 'Cricket Inside Out' show on the ICC website.
"Blackwood has had to make 6 comebacks in a short career. Some of them because he was a replacement player for an injured party, some of them unjustly dropped and some of them his own making."
Beyond his adventurous shot-making and modest record, Bishop says Blackwood is a cricketer of strong temperament, which was evident in that his innings at the Ageas Bowl came after West Indies found itself 27/3, struggling in a difficult Test run-chase.
"Blackwood was 5 off 20 balls in the second innings and that's very un-Blackwood like," said Bishop. "He was prepared to spend time at the crease and do whatever necessary to succeed. He is always said that his strength of mind would be his greatest asset. He walked the talk."
"At 27 for 3, he showed he has the ability to change his approach. Blackwood changed his game as per the demands of the situation and that's the message for every cricketer out there --- to adjust and adapt," he concluded.
