West Indies’ phenomenal victory overshadowed by the internal rift

KOLKATA (SW): The mighty West Indies’ phenomenal victory over pioneers of cricket England was overshadowed by the internal differences of winning side.

WI beat England by four wickets after Carlos Brathwaite hit four consecutive sixes in the final over, to become the first two-time winners of the tournament.

West Indies' build-up to the tournament was overshadowed by a pay dispute with their board, which was almost forced to send a second-string squad to India. In addition they were riled by a pre-tournament Cricinfo column written by broadcaster Mark Nicholas, in which he described the Windies as "short of brains".

In a reference to the lengthy and bitter pay dispute that had put their World Twenty20 participation in doubt, the all-rounder said his team felt "disrespected by our board", BBC reported. Sami also lashed at Nicholas for undermining the potential of the WI players.

The West Indies board publicly reprimanded Captain Darren Sammy just hours after his team's stunning victory in the World T20 final over England. In a post-match interview, Sammy gave vent to months — possibly years — of frustration with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB).

ENDS