As the ninth edition of the T20 World Cup draws near, West Indies look to add to their previous title triumphs, having suffered disappointment in the last two editions.
In our T20 World Cup rewind series, we have already covered the champions of 2007, 2009 and 2010 and now we move to West Indies’ title win in 2014.
Group Stage:
Led by Darren Sammy, West Indies arrived in Sri Lanka as a team short on confidence. But in their first match against Australia, they showed what they were capable of. Batting first only two of their players crossed the 30 run mark. Chris Gayle scored 54 off 33 balls and Marlon Samuels notched up 50 off 32 balls as they posted a massive 190 runs on the board. Their team followed the hit out or get out template which would became a staple of many teams.
However, during the chase the Aussies raced to 100 runs in just 9.1 overs with Shane Watson scoring 41 runs off 24 balls and David Warner getting a quick 28 off 14 before being dismissed. As Michael Hussey and Watson were steering their side close to the target, rain intervened and gave them a win by D/L method, leaving West Indies with a must-win game against Ireland.
Here, yet again rain played spoil sport, with West Indies having reduced Ireland to 129/6 in the allotted 19 overs. Further rain meant no play was possible and Sammy’s side scrapped to the Super 8s on NRR.
Super 8s
In the Super 8s, West Indies were placed with defending champions England, hosts Sri Lanka and New Zealand. The first game pitted them against England, with Windies playing out a close contest.
Batting first Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle propelled their side to 103 in 11 overs before Gayle fell for 58 off 35 balls. But Charles took over the mantle and despite little contributions from the other end his 84 off 56 balls helped them finish with 179/5, a disappointing total considering their start.
But this their bowling came out on top. Ravi Rampaul got 2 wickets for zero runs in the first over and despite Alex Hales’ 68 and Eoin Morgan’s 71 off 36 balls, the team failed to carry the momentum and finished 15 runs short, handing West Indies their first win of the tournament.
But in the next game they were humbled by the hosts. Sri Lanka restricted them to 125 runs in 20 overs and chased down the target for the loss of just one wicket with 28 balls to spare.
This meant the last match between New Zealand and West Indies became a virtual knockout. Batting first West Indies were bundled for 139 but an inspired bowling performance, led by Sunil Narine saw them tie the game in the last over taking the game to Super Over. Here, Ross Taylor’s assault in Marlon Samuels’ over fetched them 17 runs. In reply, Gayle and Samuels finished the game with one ball to spare and Windies were through.
Semi-Finals:
West Indies came up against the team that handed them their first defeat of the tournament, Australia in the semi finals. But by now, they had build momentum and especially after their Super Over win over New Zealand they looked full of confidence. A Gayle storm blew away Aussies as he scored 75 off 41 balls with Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard’s finishing touches taking them to 205/4.
Australia buckled under the weight of the run chase. Only captain George Bailey’s 63 saving them from embarrassment as they were wrapped up for mere 131 runs, handing West Indies a massive win and a final spot.
Final:
The final saw West Indies face Sri Lanka, the same team that humiliated them in the Super 8s with a nine-wicket win. Having elected to bat first, West Indies lost both of their openers inside the powerplay with just 14 runs on the board. But this time it was the turn of Marlon Samuels to lead their recovery.
Samuels scored a attacking 78 off 56 balls, hitting six 6s. And despite Darren Sammy’s 26 off 15 balls, West Indies could only muster 137/6. Ajantha Mendis starred for the hosts with 4 wickets in four overs and conceding only 12 runs.
Chasing World Cup glory, Sri Lanka lost Dilshan early for zero but captain Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara ensured they stayed right in the game with a 48-run stand. However, three wickets in the space of 12 runs turned the tide.
First Samuel Badree got rid of Sangakkara for 22, then Angelo Matthews went for just one after being cleaned up by Sammy. Then came the biggest jolt as Jayawardene was dismissed by Sunil Narine for 33 runs.
Sri Lanka collapsed like a house of cards with an expectant crowd in Colombo stunned into silence. Nuwan Kulasekara kept fighting and scored 26 off 13 balls, but his dismissal in the 17th over left them at 96/8 and fittingly Marlon Samuels got the final wicket as West Indies celebrated a first T20 World Cup win like only they can.
Sherjeel Malik is the editor at FanHaat with a writing experience in multiple sports. He oversees the editorial and content coverage at FanHaat and writes often around combat sports, football and other marquee sports. A professional highlight of his career was when WWE’s Paul Heyman shared one of his articles on his social media.
Apart from writing, editing and watching sports, he likes to indulge in reading fiction, watching war documentaries and is a fan of Liverpool FC
