Mistimed six sealed England's fate, according to Carlos Brathwaite
The last over hero for West Indies in the final of the 2016 World Twenty20, Carlos Brathwaite, has admitted that he had mistimed the third of his four sixes, which levelled the scores of the two teams.
With his team needing 19 runs to win off the last over, the giant-like all-rounder unleashed a barrage of sixes on England bowler Ben Stokes to seal a victory for West Indies at the Eden Gardens. It was a dramatic finish to a match which the men from the Caribbean were most likely to lose after a largely average batting performance.
Brathwaite described the shot in an interview with ESPNcricinfo by saying, "The third one was the best of the lot. It was also a mis-hit, but I think he [Stokes] executed it well. I just got it over, kind of spooned it over long-off."
The 27-year old claimed that he kept calm despite knowing West Indies couldn't lose after the third six. He added, "And then, I knew the West Indies are world champions, but I didn't want to get too far ahead of myself."
Carlos Brathwaite had words of appreciation for the unfortunate bowler whom he pummelled in the final over, Ben Stokes. "Yes, Ben Stokes is an absolute legend in his own right. You shouldn't forget what he has done for England in the past couple of months," he said.
Comparing his situation to that of Stuart Broad in the inaugural World Twenty20, Brathwaite stated, "Cricket is a cruel game, and a lot of people can be on him, but just remember Stuart Broad was hit for six sixes by Yuvraj [Singh], and his career has gone on the up ever since."
The young West Indian all-rounder concluded by wishing Stokes luck for his future. "To Ben, tough luck last night, commiserations to you and the England team. Wish he has a long and successful career ahead of him," he said.