On this day in 2016, Carlos Brathwaite's brutal hitting off Ben Stokes in the final over saw West Indies clinching their first T20 World Cup title.
England were close to becoming the first team to lift the T20 World Cup twice. In a 156-run chase, the West Indies were 129/6 by the end of the 18th over. Chris Jordan, then, bowled a brilliant 19th over, conceding only 8 runs. Ben Stokes was given the ball to defend 19 runs off the final over, and what followed was one of the most dramatic endings to a game of cricket.
Carlos Brathwaite struck four sixes off four consecutive deliveries to shatter England's hopes, and Ben Stokes' in particular, who sat down on the pitch, simply unable to process the reality.
West Indies, who defeated hosts India in the semifinal of the tournament, had won the toss at the Eden Gardens and invited England to bat. England, however, endured a poor start as the side lost its first-three wickets inside 23 runs in 4.4 overs. Openers Jason Roy and Alex Hales, as well as captain Eoin Morgan were all dismissed cheaply.
Jos Buttler and Joe Root, then, stabilised the England innings, with the latter striking a half-century. Ben Stokes, Chris Jordan and David Willey made handy contributions as the side ended with 155/9 in 20 overs.
Brathwaite took three wickets for West Indies, while Samuel Badree bowled a highly economical spell of 1/16 in four overs. Andre Russell, too, conceded only 21 runs in four overs, taking a wicket.
West Indies had a similar start to England, losing openers Johnson Charles (1) and Chris Gayle (4) early in the chase. Lendl Simmons, who was the hero of the semifinal, was dismissed on the very first ball as well, as Windies were left struggling at 11/3.
Marlon Samuels struck at one end, however, as Dwayne Bravo (25) partnered him in stabilising the Windies innings.
Eventually, Brathwaite turned up the heat, remaining unbeaten on 34 off just 10 deliveries to win the match with two balls to spare.
While Samuels, who remained unbeaten on 85, was named the Man of the Match, India's Virat Kohli was named the Man of the Tournament.
