On April 3, 2016, The West Indies became the only team to have been crown champions of the ICC T-20 World Cup twice as the West Indies grabbed their second World T20 title in three editions, Carlos Brathwaite produced the most unexpected and scintillating batting performance as he hit allrounder Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes at Eden Gardens to seal the deal for the Caribbean team.
Winning the toss, Darren Sammy decided to bowl first and believed in his team’s ability to chase down the target just like they did against India in the semi-finals. Joe Root excelled with the bat for the English side by the collective batting performance bt the team was a failure as the team could not build partnerships throughout the innings no other player could simply answer the question placed by the West Indian bowling unit.
Wickets at regular intervals and economical bowling spells helped the West Indies team restrict England to the competitive total of 155-9 in the 20 overs. However, the West Indian batsmen were up for a challenge as they had to face the fiery English bowling attack. Things looked optimistic for the Caribbean side before the second innings began.
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The England players look determined and bowled with extreme aggressive yet positive intent from the very ball of the WI’s innings. in just the second over of the innings, West Indies were reduced to 5/2 in their chase as fell victims to an unlikely wicket-taking option of Joe Root. England landed another huge low to the West Indian side as the semifinal hero Lendl Simmons was sent back in the hut for a golden duck.
Amid the batting collapse, Dwayne Bravo stayed at the crease for 27 balls scoring 25 runs and stabilizing the sinking West Indi’s ship. The other player to stand tall and be the lone warrior at the other end of the crease was Marlon Samuels who played a gem of an innings. Playing in possibly the most important match of his life, the West-Indian stood tall and undefeated as he anchored his wicket and guided the team closer to victory. Hitting 9 boundaries and scoring a magnificent knock of 85 runs in just 66 balls, Samuels dragged the match into the final over.
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From here on it was all the battle between the all-rounder Carlos Brathwaite took guard against the English all-rounder Ben Stokes. The stakes were as high as they can be with the winner walking away crowned the World Champion. Carlos Brathwaite brute force and connected all the first three balls hard enough to cross the boundary rope. Stokes’s confidence kept falling with every single hit.
With just one run needed off the finals three balls, Carlos Brathwaite did what every West Indan would have done. Win the match in style and walk off with some swagger. The West Indian blasted the fouth all for a six and with four sixes in four balls, West Indies secured themselves the title of being named the world champions for the second time.
Darren Sammy would have been an ecstatic person as it was his second time leading the West Indian team to an ICC trophy with the first coming back 4 years ago in Sri Lanka.
