OTD | ‘Carlos Brathwaite! Remember the name!’ – 7 years since iconic West Indies win in 20-20 WC final

On the 3rd of April, 2016, West Indies reached the summit of the shortest format of cricket, becoming the world Champions and beating England in a nail-biting final at Eden Gardens. The luck was on the side of the Wendie’s as they won the toss and had the luxury of making a favorable choice. They chose to field first and invited England to bat. 

England got off to a horrible start as Jason Roy got out for a two-ball duck as his side was one down without a single run on the board. Soon after, Alex Hales followed him to the pavilion, and so did skipper Eoin Morgan. England struggled at 23/3 as a partnership between Jos Butler and Joe Root blossomed. They were helped by David Whiley’s handy 21 off 14 as England reached a competitive 155/9 in their 20 overs. 

Carlos Braithwaite remained the match-winner for West Indies despite Marlon Samuels’s 85

In reply, West Indies got off to an even worse start. They lost Johnson Charles, Chris Gayle, and L Simmons for a mere 11 runs on the board. Like England, their number three batter led their resurgence with little help from Dwayne Bravo. Marlon Samuels’ 85 off 66 remained the match-winning knock. However, the real star of the show was Carlos Braithwaite. 

While Samuels held one end firm, Wendie’s batters kept falling at the other end. Ultimately, it was Carlos Braithwaite who hit four consecutive sixes in the last over to take West Indies home when they needed 19 off the final over. Braithwaite remained unbeaten at 34 off just 10 deliveries and arguably the last push they needed to get over the finish line. 

West Indies then produced an iconic celebration still remembered in the cricketing world. To commemorate their second-world triumph in the shortest format of the game, they celebrated in their signature Gangnam style, making it one of the most memorable outings in their history.