On April 3 in 2016, “remember the name” Carlos Brathwaite wrote his name into the history books by hammering four sixes in one over to lift West Indies to their second World Twenty20 title. Brathwaite’s achievement was momentous, the bowler at the other end was Ben Stokes.
A year later though, Brathwaite on Wednesday heaped praise on Ben Stokes, saying that the all-rounder who was sold for Rs 14.5 crore in the auctions could go for an “even heftier price” next year.
“There will be another big auction next year, and if he is allowed to return - depending on England commitments - he could go for an even heftier price tag,” the West Indian told SkySports.
The Rs 14.5 crore ($1.7 million) that Rising Pune Supergiant dished out for Stokes made him the highest paid overseas player ever at the IPL. Though the England all-rounder is not with the Pune team in the playoffs, having had to fly back to resume his duties for his national team, he played a big role in his team’s campaign this season with three man-of-the-match awards.
“Players like Stokes are worth their weight in gold and if he continues the way he is going, he will fetch a large amount again,” said Brathwaite.
He also dismissed memories of that final encounter where he had smacked him for four sixes: “I don’t think one bad night should define his career, and in the aftermath of the World T20 that seemed to be the case. He has just continued to do what he has done successfully over the past few years with England.”
Brathwaite added, “There was probably a lot more spotlight on him in this tournament than usual because of the price tag, and he has shown a lot of mental toughness in returning to India and the scene of the crime, if you want to call it that”.
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