Champions, they sung. And like champions, they played. Mahendra Singh Dhoni may have garnered a reputation for finishing games with a six but he has nothing on this. World Twenty20 final. 19 runs off 6 balls. How do you get yourself out of this?
Quite simple if you're Carlos Brathwaite. You slam one over fine leg. You hit the next one over deep mid-wicket. You thrash the third one over wide long-on. And despite only another run being required, you don't bother with the niceties... you win a World Twenty20 title with another towering six. (Video above)
The man at the other end, Marlon Samuels only witnessed the ensuing carnage but he fully deserved his Man of the Match honour. West Indies were struggling at 11/3, they were far below the required run rate but Samuels remained firm and immovable. He fought and fought and gave West Indies hope. He finished with an unbeaten 85 off just 66 balls, with a knock that ranks right up there among the greatest performances in the final of a global event.
But that wasn't to be his parting shot. At the post-match press conference, Samuels received the Man of the Match award and dedicated it to former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne, but not for the reasons you would think.
In case you missed it, here's what he said "I woke up this morning with one thing on my mind. Shane Warne has been continuously talking about me. And you know what talking is. This is for Shane Warne. I answer with my bat, I don't answer with my mic."
He would later continue his attack on Warne at the post-match press conference where he quipped, "I don't appreciate the way that he continues to talk about me, and the things he keeps doing. I don't know, maybe it is because my face is real and his face is not."
Of course, there is a little bit of history to that feud. In January 2013, Samuels and Warne were involved in a heated feud in a match at Australia's domestic Twenty20 tournament, the Big Bash. After that, Warne criticised Samuels several times during commentary stints. As it seems, Samuels got the last word in.
But the occasion was bigger than a petty Warne-Samuels fight. It was about West Indies, the players from the Caribbean winning their third world title in the year, after the U19 World Cup in February and the Women's World Twenty20 title earlier in the day. And, of course, they celebrated, just like only the West Indies team can celebrate.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!