Kolkata 2016: Brathwaite makes a name and Samuels snarls as West Indies win

Press Box 2020

Remember the name, remember the game.

On a hot, steamy evening in Kolkata, West Indies and England provided a finish that was made for television, made for drama and will be replayed in minds for some time to come. The sight of Carlos Brathwaite standing tall and launching Ben Stokes, and with him England, to defeat, was something else. But the game was not just about that big finish.

The West Indies team were deservedly favourites in the tournament. Packed with the kind of players who excel in Twenty20 cricket the team had all the resources to go all the way. But, with a sub-par total in the final, there was every chance they would falter at the final hurdle. Fortunately for them, Samuels was in a mood to drag his team over the line with sheer willpower. But he could not have gone all the way. For that, the West Indies needed Brathwaite's cheerful fury.

The excitement on the field did threaten to boil over into something less savoury however. The manner in which the West Indies players gave every England batsman a send off with the Champions song and dance routine, irked a few. But, what really changed things was Samuels's anger. Even in victory there seemed to be little joy to be had, and even after the game was done, Samuels was seething. Eventually the International Cricket Council would step in with sanctions.

And this episode of the podcast brings out those contrasting perspectives. While Anand Vasu had little time for the antics of Samuels and some of the others, Bharat Sundaresan tries to explain the thought process that led to the eventual outburst. Where do you stand? Listen in, and then make up your mind.

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