ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2016: Carlos Brathwaite's Four Sixes — West Indies' Last-Over Miracle
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2016 (sixth edition) was hosted in India from 8 to 3 April 2016. West Indies defeated England by 4 wickets in the final at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 3 April 2016. England scored 155/9 (Joe Root 54, Alex Hales 1, Ben Stokes bowling in death). West Indies needed 19 from the last over — Stokes bowling. Carlos Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes off Ben Stokes' final four deliveries to win the match with 1 ball remaining. West Indies won by 4 wickets. It was West Indies' second T20 World Cup title (first was 2012). Marlon Samuels scored 85* from 66 balls to anchor the chase. Virat Kohli scored 273 runs in the tournament — Player of the Tournament.
The ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2016 was the sixth edition, hosted in India from 8 March to 3 April 2016. Ten teams participated in the Super 10 format. West Indies defeated England by 4 wickets in the final at Eden Gardens, Kolkata on 3 April 2016 — West Indies' second T20 World Cup title (first since 2012).
The Last Over: Brathwaite's Four Sixes off Stokes
West Indies needed 19 runs from the last over (over 20) to win. Ben Stokes — England's most reliable death bowler that tournament — bowled. Carlos Brathwaite, who had scored just 11 from 16 balls before the final over, hit Stokes' first delivery over wide long-on for six. Second delivery: six, over long-off. Third delivery: six, over wide long-on. Fourth delivery: six, over square leg. Four consecutive sixes; West Indies won from the first ball of the remaining two. Brathwaite finished 34* from 10 balls (SR 340). Marlon Samuels (85* from 66 balls) had kept West Indies in the match through overs 7–19. The total required at the start of the last over — 19 — had been achievable theoretically but had never been done this emphatically in a World Cup Final.
Virat Kohli's Tournament: 273 Runs in India
Host nation India was eliminated in the semi-finals by West Indies (who won from 47/2 to 192/3 in 19.4 overs, chasing 193 — Lendl Simmons 82* from 51 balls). Despite India's exit, Virat Kohli scored 273 runs in the tournament at a strike rate of 146.77 — Player of the Tournament. His 82* in a chase of 149 vs Australia (quarter-final) was played after India were reduced to 66/2; he remained unbeaten. His 89* in the semi-final chase vs West Indies was India's only competitive innings in a lost match. Darren Sammy captained West Indies to their second T20 World Cup title.
Frequently asked questions
What is the statistical probability of scoring 19 runs from a single over in T20 cricket's highest-pressure context, and what made Brathwaite's feat so analytically extraordinary?
Carlos Brathwaite's 19 runs (four sixes) from the last over in the 2016 T20 World Cup Final is analytically extraordinary at multiple levels. The base rate context: in T20 cricket, the probability of hitting four consecutive sixes in a single over — even in favourable conditions — is extremely low for any individual batsman. The distribution of six-hitting: the highest-risk outcome (six) occurs approximately 6–10% of the time per scoring shot for elite T20 batsmen; the probability of four consecutive sixes is approximately 0.0014 to 0.001 per over in aggregate — roughly 1 in 700 overs across T20 cricket globally. The pressure amplification: the final over of a World Cup Final, with the match on the line, amplifies psychological load substantially. Stokes was bowling from a run-up that he had used successfully all tournament; Brathwaite had scored 11 from 16 balls before the over — not an in-form batsman in that innings. The trajectory of the innings: West Indies had been 11 from 3 balls earlier in the over requiring 6 each ball; Brathwaite connected on the first one and repeated the shot mechanics four times. The mechanical explanation for the four sixes: Brathwaite's technique on all four deliveries was similar — stepping slightly outside off stump, creating room for a wide arc, using a flat bat with maximum arm rotation. Stokes attempted variations (fuller, slightly wider, pace change) but Brathwaite's motor pattern was established after the first six. The psychological aftermath for Stokes: he was unable to console himself after the match, sitting on the outfield while West Indies celebrated. He cited the moment as a significant motivation for his subsequent development as a cricket all-rounder and Test batting anchor.