
மீண்டும் நாணயச் சுழற்சியில் வென்ற Darren Sammy இங்கிலாந்தை துடுப்பெடுத்தாடப் பணித்தார். முதலில் துடுப்பெடுத்தாடிய இங்கிலாந்து அணி, 9 விக்கெட்டுகளை இழந்து 155 ஓட்டங்களைப் பெற்றது. இங்கிலாந்து சார்பில் 36 பந்துகளில் 56 ஓட்டங்கள் எடுத்தார். பின்னர் ஆடிய மேற்கிந்தியத் தீவுகள், 19.4 ஓவர்களில் இலக்கை எட்டிக் கோப்பையைத் தனதாக்கியது. Marlon Samuels 66 பந்துகளில் 86 ஓட்டங்களை எடுத்து அணியின் வெற்றிக்குக் காரணமானார்.
இதனிடையே இந்திய அணியின் Virat Kohli, ICC World Twenty20 men’s player of the tournament என அறிவிக்கப்பட்டுள்ளார்.

Kohli is the fifth man named as the player of the tournament at an ICC World Twenty20 event. Previous winners include Sri Lanka’s Tillakaratne Dilshan (2007), Shahid Afridi of Pakistan (2009), Kevin Pietersen of England (2010) and Australia’s Shane Watson (2012).

If the West Indies had expected Joe the batsman to be the root cause of all its problems, then it wasn't wrong.
If the West Indies had expected Joe the batsman to be the root cause of all its problems, then it wasn't wrong. But it had surely not bargained for Root the bowler to leave his imprint. At a packed Eden Gardens on a muggy Sunday (April 3) night, Eoin Morgan, the England captain, entrusted the offspinner with new-ball responsibilities. In six previous bowls in T20I cricket, Root had done that just once, with no success. In the final of the ICC World Twenty20 2016, Root and England were in seventh heaven as Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle both holed out in the outfield, to catches of varying degrees of difficulty completed with remarkable ease by Ben Stokes.

England’s 155 for 9 after Darren Sammy won his sixth toss of the tournament had looked below par at the break. But Root’s twin strikes in the second over of the chase to leave the 2012 winner gasping at 5 for 2 with two of its heaviest hitters back in the dugout was a stunning body blow from which few other sides would have recovered.

Not the West Indies. Looking to emulate the women's side, which emerged triumphant earlier in the evening, it unleashed two other heroes – an already acknowledged one and another whose life will never be the same again. Marlon Samuels steered the wobbling ship with a steady hand but it was Carlos Brathwaite who walked away with all the accolades, lashing Stokes for three towering sixes off the first three deliveries with 19 required.

England still had reason to believe 170 wasn’t out of reach, not with the depth it possessed, but its innings turned on its head in the space of four legal deliveries encompassing the 14th and 15th overs
England still had reason to believe 170 wasn’t out of reach, not with the depth it possessed, but its innings turned on its head in the space of four legal deliveries encompassing the 14th and 15th overs. Bravo packed off Stokes and Mooen Ali in the same over and Brathwaite netted his second big fish, accounting for Root. Not having put a foot wrong playing orthodoxly, Root walked across his stumps to attempt a paddle to leg; as the ball looped off his glove, Benn threw himself forward to complete an excellent catch.

England’s objective then was to bat out the innings, and Willey provided it late impetus with two huge sixes in one Bravo over so that 150 was ticked. There had been no brazen acceleration, but competitive runs had been stacked up. Almost enough, but almost is never good enough, is it?


