2012 ICC World Twenty20: West Indies Win With Last-Ball Six

The 2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka ended in one of the most dramatic finals in cricket history. West Indies required 36 off the last three overs to beat Sri Lanka — then Chris Gayle was dismissed attempting to settle the match early, leaving Marlon Samuels and Darren Bravo to hold the innings together before a devastating last over from Marlon Samuels finished the job. West Indies claimed the T20 World Cup for the first time — their dominant batting and Darren Sammy's shrewd captaincy overcoming home advantage.

Sri Lanka's Home Tournament

Sri Lanka hosted the 2012 T20 World Cup and were strongly fancied on home pitches that suited their spinners — Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, and Sachithra Senanayake all operated effectively during the group stage. Sri Lanka's batting — Mahela Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara, Tillakaratne Dilshan — was experienced and aggressive. The final at R.Premadasa Stadium in Colombo felt tailor-made for Sri Lanka's strengths.

The Final

Sri Lanka set 137 in the final. West Indies, chasing, began well through Gayle's power before losing wickets regularly. When Gayle fell, West Indies needed significant hitting from the lower order. Marlon Samuels delivered — his 78* off 56 balls was one of the great T20 innings under pressure. Going into the final over, West Indies needed 15 off 6 balls from Lasith Malinga. Samuels hit the second ball for six, and the eventual target was achieved off the last ball.

West Indies 121/5 after 19 overs. Needed 15 off Malinga's last over. Ball 1: dot. Ball 2: Samuels six over wide long-on. Ball 3: 2 runs. Ball 4: 4 runs. Ball 5: wide, 1 run. Ball 6: 1 run. West Indies won with 137/6 — the last ball was a scramble to the boundary that gave them the winning run.

Chris Gayle's Tournament

Chris Gayle was the 2012 tournament's most explosive presence. His 75* off 41 balls in the semi-final against Australia — including 5 sixes — was one of T20 cricket's most dominant powerplay innings to that point. His destruction of spin bowling on turning Sri Lankan pitches seemed to contradict the conventional wisdom that West Indians struggled against quality spin.

Darren Sammy's Captaincy

Darren Sammy's leadership was central to West Indies' 2012 success. An all-rounder from St Lucia who brought a fierce team ethos and tactical discipline, Sammy held together a squad of big personalities including Gayle, Pollard, and Bravo under pressured conditions. His ability to manage egos and bring out the best from his squad in a short-format tournament was his defining achievement as captain.