After becoming the first team to win World Twenty20 title twice with a breathtaking victory over England in the final, West Indies skipper skipper Darren Sammy says they have proved their doubters wrong.
Published : 04 Apr 2016, 01:35 AM
Chasing 156 to win, Marlon Samuels anchored the innings with a gritty unbeaten 85 before a last-over blitz from Carlos Brathwaite propelled the Caribbeans to a thrilling four-wicket win at the Eden Gardens on Sunday.
They needed 19 runs off the last over bowled by Ben Stokes with Brathwaite on strike.
The 27-year-old allrounder showed nerves of steel to hammer four consecutive sixes to finish things off in style and trigger wild celebrations by his teammates who invaded the pitch in jubilation.
In the weeks leading up to the showcase event, the players were caught up in another pay dispute with the West Indies Cricket Board.
In the pre-match press conference, Sammy described English commentator Mark Nicholas' comment stating the Caribbeans were "short of brains" as an emotional flashpoint for his team.
But the captain insisted his men were just focussed on the games.
"We had issues with the board, Mark Nicholas called us players with no brains. But all of us came together, these 15 men put adversity aside, play this type of cricket in front of such passionate fans," Sammy said at the presentation ceremony.
"Firstly, I want to thank the almighty…It was tremendous. I want to thank the coaching team, Phil Simmons. Really happy for this win, it's something we'll cherish for a long time.
"We have a few match-winners, nobody gave us a chance, (but) every game somebody stepped up. Good to see Carlos play like that in his debut World Cup. Shows the T20 depth we have in the Caribbean, hopefully we will continue to improve,
"This is for all the fans in the Caribbean. I don't know when I'm going to be playing for West Indies again. I want to thank my team, thanks my coaching staff. This is for the champions."