Internet Desk: Man of the Match Marlon Samuels sarcastically dedicated the World T20 win on Sunday to legendary Aussie leg spinner Shane Warne.
Samuels scored an unbeaten knock of 85 off 66 balls to guide the Caribbean to a successful run chase of 156 runs in the final against England.
Samuels didn’t waste the chance, and during the post-match press conference, “I didn’t say much other than swing and swing hard. This is for Shane Warne,”
“I played this game to be honest and since the Test series in Australia Shane Warne has a problem with me. I don’t know what, I have never disrespected him. Seems he has a lot inside him that needs to come out so, I don’t appreciate the way he continues to talk about me, I don’t know probably because my face is real and his is not, “added Samuels
Warne, during commentary, said “Well, this is a bit embarrassing for Marlon Samuels… Look where he is. He’s nearly off the pitch backing away again. He’s backed away every ball.”The West Indian was a subject of ridicule after he was dismissed for 8 off 7 balls in a crucial stage against India in their semi-final match at Mumbai, which they eventually won by seven wickets.
The Jamaican backed away from an Ashish Nehra slower ball and popped up a simple catch to Ajinkya Rahane.
“I said the ball before, if he (Nehra) can give him a good short one and get one outside off stump that Marlon Samuels was backing away so much he nearly couldn’t reach it.
“For your No.3, Marlon Samuels, in this situation in such a big game, that’s an embarrassing dismissal. That’s pretty poor,” Warne added.
Talking about his streak in the finals, Samuels said:
“I know about finals, when I come to finals, I turn up for the team. All respect to the England players, we want to move from strength to strength – this is for the Caribbean. If we get a good start, then I can step on it, we lose wickets early so it’s different.”
Samuel also played an equally pivotal innings in 2012 final, against Sri Lanka, scoring 78 off 56 balls.
Talking about the run chase he said,“We have chased big runs on many occasions. We believe in ourselves and we believe in each other and we think the next man going out will always do the job.”
Speaking about BenStokes , who gave away 24 runs in the first 4 balls of the final over he said,“Stokes is a nervous lad, hold your pose and he will bowl some full tosses and you would get to him . Brathwaite played a brilliant knock there in the end.He doesn’t learn because they tell him don’t talk to me because I perform and even before I started he had a lot to say, so I had to perform until the end.”
Samuels has recently opened a games store back in Jamaica named Playzone.“I turn my life around for the last five years and dedicate myself everyday to the Lord and my children and this is what I am doing for my kids,” said Samuels on his new venture back home.
Meanwhile, Marlon Samuels of the West Indies has been fined 30 per cent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct during his side’s ICC World Tweny20 India 2016 final against England at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Samuels was found to have breached Article 2.1.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “using language or a gesture that is obscene, offensive or insulting during an International Match”.
The incident happened in the final over of West Indies’ run-chase when Samuels used abusive and offensive language directed at Ben Stokes.
Samuels admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Ranjan Madugalle of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.
The charge were levelled by on-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Rod Tucker, third umpire Marais Erasmus and fourth umpire Bruce Oxenford, all from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees.