Colombo: West Indies were crowned the new International Cricket Council (ICC) World Twenty20 champions in front of a capacity 35,000-strong crowd — most of whom rooted for hosts Sri Lanka — at the R. Premadasa Stadium on Sunday night.
Defending a modest total of 137 for 6, West Indies clawed their way back into the game through a magnificent display of tight bowling and outstanding fielding to produce a 36-run victory. They bowled out Sri Lanka for a paltry 101, with only skipper Mahela Jayawardene (33), Kumar Sangakkara (22) and Nuwan Kulasekara (26) reaching double figures.
It was a game where little went according to expectations, starting with the failure of two of the superstars of Twenty20 cricket. West Indies batsman Chris Gayle, whom many believed would play a vital role, fell for three runs while Sri Lanka’s deadly pace bowler Lasith Malinga was thrashed for 54 runs in his four overs.
The hero of the day was Marlon Samuels, who cracked 78 runs off 56 balls with three fours and six sixes despite wickets falling all around him. So dominant was his batting that he had scored 78 of the 108 runs on the board when he fell. He also bowled tightly, giving away just 15 runs from his four overs and taking one wicket to back up mystery spinner Sunil Narine, who bagged three wickets for nine runs.
Samuels was named man of the final in the presentation ceremony, while Australia all-rounder Shane Watson took the man of the tournament accolade.
Nuwan Kulaksekara ignited hopes of a Sri Lankan victory by hitting 22 runs off a Ravi Rampaul over, but Narine had him caught at deep cover.
Chasing a run-rate of 6.90 per over, the hosts lost opener Tilakaratne Dilshan to the first ball of the second over from Rampaul for a duck. It was a beauty of a delivery that moved off the seam to uproot his off-stump.
Samuels would have got the wicket of Jayawardene for five had Dwayne Bravo reacted quickly to a sweep shot at backward square leg.
Sangakkara and Jayawardene kept the scoreboard moving, playing with caution, although Sangakkara greeted Gayle with a lofted cover-driven boundary.
In the 10th over, Samuel Badree silenced the home crowd by having Sangakkara pull straight to Kieron Pollard at deep mid-wicket for 22. The pair had put on 42 runs in 8.2 overs.
Angelo Mathews scored just one run before being bowled by Sammy attempting to play a scoop shot over fine leg. Three down for 53 in 11 overs, the run-rate began to climb.
Jayawardene on 27 escaped being caught at long-on off Badree, but in the 12th he became a Narine victim. He played a reverse pull, only to be caught at point by Sammy for 33. In the same over Jeevan Mendis got run out.
Earlier, West Indies won the toss and elected to bat. Mathews provided the hosts with a great start with a wicket maiden after he had Johnson Charles, who attempted to hit over the bowler’s head, lob into the hands of Kulasekara at mid-off for a duck.
West Indies could score only 12 runs in the first five overs and then Jayawardene introduced Ajantha Mendis, who picked up the most valuable wicket of Gayle. He trapped him with a delivery which straightened to give him a leg before verdict from umpire Simon Taufel, who was officiating for the last time in an international match.
Spectators danced with joy as if half the battle had been won with the dismissal of Gayle, who could only muster three runs from 16 deliveries.
Birthday boy Dwayne Bravo joined Samuels but they found Mathews and Mendis hard to score off. Spinner Akila Dananjaya, who was included in place of Rangana Herath, bowled the tenth over and gave away just three runs, meaning West Indies had just 32 runs at the half-way stage.
The first six of the innings came in only the 12th over, when Bravo hit Dananjaya over mid-wicket, but Samuels followed that with three maximums off the next over from Malinga.
Mendis produced one of his mystery deliveries to trap Bravo leg before for a run-a-ball 19 — Bravo and Samuels had put on 59 in 8.1 overs.
Samuels hit his fourth six off Jeevan Mendis to complete his half-century.
In the 16th over, Mendis struck twice to dismiss Kieron Pollard and Andre Russell off successive balls, but Samuels hit Malinga for two more sixes and a four to pick up 19 runs in the 17th over.
In the next over Samuels fell hitting Dananjaya to Ajantha Mendis at deep mid-wicket. His knock of 78 off 56 balls contained three fours and six sixes. Skipper Sammy remained unbeaten on 26 off 15 balls at the end.
