West Indies needed 19 off the last over. Carlos Brathwaite hit Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes to win the 2016 ICC T20 World Cup — the greatest single-over comeback in World Cup history.
England were defending champions of the T20 World Cup (having won in 2010) and heavy favourites in the final at a packed Eden Gardens in Kolkata. West Indies, while talented, had been inconsistent. England had a strong bowling attack led by Stokes, Woakes, and Jordan. West Indies needed 19 off the last over with their last recognized batsman at the crease.
England batted first and made 155/9. West Indies' chase was in tatters — 107/8 after 17 overs, requiring 49 off 18 balls. Marlon Samuels and Carlos Brathwaite got 30 off the next two overs, bringing it to 19 off the last over. Eoin Morgan threw the ball to Ben Stokes — his most trusted death bowler.
Carlos Brathwaite had scored 7 runs in his previous 6 T20 International innings. He was not the story anyone was expecting.
Ball 1: Stokes bowled a length ball. Brathwaite hit it over long-on for six. 13 off 5. Ball 2: Stokes bowled a full ball. Brathwaite hit it over deep midwicket for six. 7 off 4. Ball 3: Stokes tried a slower ball. Brathwaite picked it and hit it over extra cover for six. 1 off 3. Ball 4: Stokes pitched up. Brathwaite hit it over long-on for six. West Indies needed -5 runs. They had WON.
The Eden Gardens crowd, overwhelmingly pro-West Indies, erupted into a wall of sound. Brathwaite ran down the pitch screaming. Stokes fell to his knees on the pitch. Marlon Samuels celebrated elaborately toward Stokes — there was no love lost between them. Chris Gayle, watching from the dressing room, was in tears.
Remember the name. Carlos Brathwaite.
West Indies needing 19 off the last over — three possible results
Four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes — one of cricket's most explosive finishes
Stokes on his knees at Eden Gardens — the other side of Brathwaite's heroics
April 3, 2016
England bat first — 155/9 at Eden Gardens
Over 17, West Indies 107/8
West Indies need 49 off 3 overs — seemingly impossible
Overs 18-19
Samuels and Brathwaite get 30 — 19 needed off last over
Over 20, balls 1-4
Four consecutive sixes off Stokes — West Indies win
West Indies won their second T20 World Cup — their women's team had also won earlier the same day, giving West Indies a historic double. Brathwaite became a household name overnight. Stokes's anguish at Eden Gardens became one of cricket's most poignant images — he later channelled it into one of the greatest Ashes innings (Headingley 2019).
The most dramatic single over in T20 World Cup history. Four sixes off four consecutive balls to win the World Cup — a moment so improbable it became immortal within seconds of happening.
The 2016 T20 final is the most replayed T20 finale in history. Four sixes to win a World Cup remains the most compressed piece of sporting drama in the modern era. Every T20 coaching session about death bowling references Stokes-Brathwaite as the cautionary tale.
Australia vs West Indies
1960-12-14
The first tied Test in 86 years of cricket history — Australia and West Indies finished level on 737 runs each after five days of breathless cricket in Brisbane, producing one of the most dramatic finishes the game has ever seen.
India vs Australia
1986-09-22
Twenty-six years after Brisbane, cricket produced only its second tied Test — Dean Jones's heroic 210 through crippling heat and Dean Jones's fever, Ravi Shastri's unbeaten 48 and India needing 2 off the last over, only for Maninder Singh to be out lbw off the final ball.
Australia vs South Africa
1999-06-17
Lance Klusener smashed Australia to the brink of elimination, then ran out Allan Donald off the penultimate ball to tie the match — but Australia advanced to the final on superior run rate, ending South Africa's greatest World Cup campaign in devastating fashion.