West Indies Cricket Victory: A Comeback for Player and Country

It is not long since Marlon Samuels was a poster boy for what had gone wrong with West Indies cricket.

On Sunday, he was its redemptive hero, as West Indies won the World Twenty20 by defeating the host, Sri Lanka, by 36 runs in Colombo.

The 31-year-old Jamaican batted brilliantly in conditions that were too much for almost every other batsman. His compatriot Chris Gayle scratched around glumly for only three runs from 15 deliveries, while the Sri Lanka captain, Mahela Jayawardene, usually the epitome of unorthodox elegance, was reduced to a series of ugly lunges, the last of which spooned the ball for an easy catch.

“Samuels was the difference,” said the former England captain Nasser Hussain, commentating for Sky Sports television. “No one else really found their timing on this pitch.”

Samuels scored 78 runs, more than half of the West Indies total of 137 for 8 from its 20 six-ball overs and more than twice as many as the next-highest score, Jayawardene’s 33, in the match. He rescued the West Indians from a disastrous start

West Indies have a great future: Sammy

COLOMBO: An exultant West Indies captain Darren Sammy said winning the World Twenty20 title, the team's first major trophy in 33 years, has proved that the Caribbeans are gradually moving towards reclaiming their past glory.

"We're not trying just to compete any more, we believe we can win against good opposition. We showed signs of that in the last year or so, but we were not winning. Hopefully, this can be the start of something good for the West Indies team and the people," Sammy said after the Windies beat hosts Sri Lanka in the final on Sunday.

The West Indians, who have struggled at the international level for over two decades, were, for a change, among the teams favoured to do well in the tournament. And they did exactly that, dancing their way to the title.

Sammy, whose place in the team itself has been questioned several times, proved his worth in the crunch match with an important 26-run knock down the order, besides grabbing a couple of wickets.