West Indies became the first team to win two World Twenty20s and, in doing so, took the opportunity to settle some scores. The winning captain, Darren Sammy, and the player of the match, Marlon Samuels, were in punchy moods during their post-match reaction, both on the pitch and in their press conferences. And it was Samuels, who smashed 85 off 66 balls, who landed the most telling blows – though his abusive and offensive language towards Ben Stokes cost him 30 % of his match fee.

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Sitting with his feet on the table, pads still on, he had little to no sympathy for Stokes, whose first four balls of the final over were all sent to the stands by an inspired Carlos Brathwaite. Samuels and Stokes have history, most notably when Samuels saluted the England all‑rounder during a Test match in the Caribbean in April last year. Both players are no shrinking violets, but it was Samuels who got the last word in.

After the third six, which tied the scores, Samuels laid into Stokes, who turned from walking back to his mark to confront him. Then, after Brathwaite had hit the final six, Samuels removed his shirt and made a beeline for the England dugout. He had to be restrained by his team-mates and the West Indies coaching staff and later said that he had told Brathwaite that Stokes would struggle under the pressure.

“Stokes is a nervous lad,” Samuels said. “What I told Brathwaite is just hold his pose and [Stokes] is going to bowl a couple of full tosses, as always. It worked in our favour and Brathwaite played a brilliant knock to give me a little break at the other end.”

Brathwaite, however, had a contrasting view to Samuels. “Ben Stokes is an absolute legend in his own right,” he told ESPN Cricinfo. “You shouldn’t forget what he has done for England in the past couple of months. Just remember Stuart Broad was hit for six sixes by Yuvraj [Singh], and his career has gone on the up ever since. To Ben, tough luck last night, commiserations to you and the England team.”



Samuels dedicated his man of the match award to Shane Warne. The Australian, working as a commentator at the World T20, has been less than complimentary about the Jamaican. Even during his match-winning knock, the words in praise of Samuels could barely be heard through gritted teeth. The pair were involved in an altercation during a Big Bash League game in 2012-13, when Warne threw the ball at Samuels, provoking the West Indian to throw his bat in the general direction of the bowler. Samuels, though, is unsure as to why Warne’s apparent dislike for him has gone on for so long.



“Shane Warne has a problem with me. I don’t know what – I’ve never disrespected him. It seems he has a lot inside him that needs to come out. I don’t appreciate the way he continues to talk about me. And the things he keeps doing. I don’t know – maybe it’s because my face is real and his face is not.”

Sammy, meanwhile, took aim at Mark Nicholas, who had written before this event for Cricinfo that West Indies were “short of brains”. “I’m done with Mark,” said a clearly riled Sammy. “This tournament, with all that happened before … The disrespect from journalists, from our own cricket board. That was out of order. The only way we could make a statement was by winning this tournament. When you see these 15 men playing out there with hunger and passion, it all stems from what has been boiling inside.”

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He was keen to highlight the struggle West Indies were under when they arrived. Many of these players were not awarded central contracts for this year and, as a result, there is uncertainty over whether this crop of players will play another game together in 2016.

“We left the Caribbean with a six-step goal to the cup. And Carlos Brathwaite, in his debut World Cup, what a player he showed he could be. For me as a leader, it was just a joy to captain these guys out there. But I don’t know when’s the next time we will have these players together.”

It will be interesting to see if there are any ramifications regarding the behaviour on show during this match. There were plenty of send-offs. David Willey recreated West Indies’ celebratory Champion dance right in front of Sammy when he took his wicket. Joe Root was also involved in a confrontation with the West Indies players when he was out. And at the finale, Denesh Ramdin ran on to the field when there was still one run left to get. Still, these unsavoury moments should not detract from a once‑in‑a‑lifetime match.