When Carlos Brathwaite smashed Ben Stokes for four consecutive sixes to win the 2016 T20 World Cup Final in Kolkata, Marlon Samuels' celebration was one for the ages. While the rest of the West Indies team went into ecstatic celebrations — hugging, screaming, doing the champion dance, crying tears of joy — Samuels found a chair. He sat down. He draped what appeared to be a flag or towel around himself like a royal robe. He put his feet up. And he surveyed the scene with the casual air of a man relaxing on his porch after a long day of doing absolutely nothing strenuous.
The image went viral instantly. While teammates were doing laps of honor, jumping on each other, and celebrating with the kind of abandon normally reserved for people who have just escaped from prison, Samuels looked like he was watching paint dry. He sat in that chair with the serene composure of a Buddhist monk who had achieved enlightenment and found it pleasantly underwhelming. It was the most casual celebration of a World Cup victory in any sport, ever.
The contrast between the pandemonium around him and his complete nonchalance was comedy perfection. The camera kept cutting back to Samuels, who remained seated, unbothered, regal. He didn't jump. He didn't run. He didn't shout. He just sat there, wrapped in his makeshift robe, as if winning a World Cup was something he did on Tuesdays and had no intention of letting it disrupt his evening relaxation schedule.
To add to the entertainment, Samuels had been involved in an ongoing feud with Shane Warne, and during the post-match press conference, he aimed several pointed barbs at the Australian legend with the same casual confidence that had characterized his celebration. His entire demeanor during and after the final suggested a man who had been waiting his entire career for this moment — and was determined to enjoy it in the most provocatively relaxed way possible.