Marlon Samuels believes the “sky is the limit” for West Indies cricket following their ICC Twenty20 final win over hosts Sri Lanka.
The Windies’ 36-run triumph looked a highly unlikely outcome for much of the match, but in the end Samuels’ belligerent 78 from 56 balls turned the match.
Having seen a clutch of his fellow top-order ball-strikers fail to register on a slow but fair pitch he did not panic and pushed his team up to 137-6 – a total which, contrary to expectation, proved far too many for Sri Lanka.
“We haven’t won a major title for years now, so I think this is a great achievement for this wonderful team we have here,’’ said the 31-year-old Samuels, who was adjudged man of the match.
Samuels has endured a turbulent 12-year career since his debut in 2000, having seen his bowling action questioned before being suspended for two years in 2008 for alleged links with bookmakers.
“The career has been up and down,” Samuels admitted. “There have been a lot of tough times. I dealt with them in simple ways and tried to let them pass.
“Being under pressure on a cricket field is nothing compared to what I’ve been through off the field. But as my mentor always said to me, everything that happened to me in life is because I am important. I’m not someone that will ever give up. I never say die.
“The person that I am deep down inside is the reason why I am still here playing cricket. I have a family that believes in me. If outsiders don’t, it doesn’t really matter to me.”
The victory gave the West Indies their first world title since the 50-over World Cup triumph under Clive Lloyd in 1979, although they won the invitational Champions Trophy in England in 2004.
Samuels said the victory would turn the tide for Caribbean cricket and win back fans who had deserted the team in bad times over the last decade.
“This is a great achievement for past cricketers and for the present cricketers who have bonded together to form a strong unit,” he said.
“Around the world, people still love to watch West Indies cricket. We will celebrate as long as possible and enjoy the moment. The sky is now the limit for us.”
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