On April 3, 2016, West Indies won the ICC World T20 for the second time with a thrilling victory against England in the final. The star of the show at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata that day was Carlos Brathwaite, whose six-hitting rampage left Ben Stokes and the cricketing world stunned.
“Carlos Brathwaite. Remember the name.”
Cricket fans across the world won’t easily forget these immortal words by Ian Bishop in commentary. The former West Indies fast bowler perfectly encapsulated the moment that night as Brathwaite – unheralded at that time and playing his first World T20 – turned the final on its head in the last over of the match.
Needing 19 runs to win off the final six deliveries, Brathwaite hit Stokes for four sixes in a row to help West Indies add to the title they won in 2012.
Batting first, England could manage just 155/9 in their 20 overs on the back of a Joe Root half-century. It was a well below par total at the Eden Gardens and at the halfway stage of the match, Windies were the clear favourites to clinch the trophy.
However, West Indies’ powerful batting lineup crumbled under pressure and they were reduced to 107/6 in 15.3 overs. And that’s when Brathwaite walked in to bat. With his team needing 49 runs to win off 27 balls, the right-hander went on to play a knock for the ages.
Along with Marlon Samuels, who was the anchor of the chase and remained not out on 85 off 66 balls, Brathwaite took his team home from a near hopeless position with an unbeaten 10-ball 34. The highlight, of course, was the final over. Brathwaite tied the game with three sixes off the first three deliveries and sealed the deal with another maximum off the next one.
Watch highlights of that epic match here:
