On this day in 2016: West Indies win the T20 World Cup for the second time
19 runs were needed off the final over. Ben Stokes had the ball in his hand. Carlos Brathwaite was the man on strike. The T20 World Cup was on the line, as West Indies and England fought it out in the summit clash.
The first ball of the 20th over was bowled on Brathwaite’s pads. The West Indian deposited the ball over deep square leg for six. Stokes bowled the second delivery full, and Brathwaite just swatted the ball over Long On for another six. That brought the equation down to 7 runs needed off 4 balls. Stokes was rattled. The bowler bowled another full delivery, and this time the ball disappeared over Long Off. The scores were level.
And then, came the winning shot. Yet another six, this time over deep mid-wicket. And just like that, Carlos Brathwaite had allowed the West Indies to lift their second T20 World Cup, as Stokes and England were shell-shocked.
England post 155
The summit clash between England and the West Indies was not an extremely high scoring one. England batted first and posted a total of 155/9 on the board. Even though the Eoin Morgan-led side got off to a poor start, losing their first 2 wickets with just 8 runs on the board, Joe Root and Jos Buttler steadied the England ship. The duo was involved in a 61-run stand for the 4th wicket. While Root scored 54 off 36 deliveries, Buttler helped himself to a 22-ball 36 as England put up a competitive total on the board.
The West Indies too started their run chase terribly. The ‘Men in Maroon’ were rocked early and lost their first 3 wickets with just 11 runs on the board. But then, Marlon Samuels stood up for his side when they desperately needed him. The right-hander plundered a match-winning 85* off 66 deliveries to guide his side to a sensational 4-wicket victory in the 2016 T20 World Cup final. And of course, if not for Brathwaite’s blistering 10-ball 34*, Samuels’ innings would have gone in vain.
Yes. 3rd April 2016 is a historic day in the history of West Indian cricket. The Darren Sammy-led side won the T20 World Cup for the second time, and to date, no other team has won 2 T20 World Cups except the Men from the Caribbean land.
