2013 is going to be a great year!!

[Gob]

Oh I'd ike to see the Windies win, they've not had a good series in any form of the game since Lara retired.

[Gob]

Windies win it!!

World T20 cricket: West Indies beat Sri Lanka in final
By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport

ICC World Twenty20 final, Colombo (RPS)

West Indies 137-6 beat Sri Lanka 101 all out (18.4 overs) by 36 runs


A Marlon Samuels-inspired West Indies recovered from an awful start to beat Sri Lanka and win the World Twenty20.

The hosts looked to be in control in Colombo when the Windies managed only 32 from the first 10 overs, with Chris Gayle taking 16 balls to make three.

But Samuels smashed six sixes in his 56-ball 78 to drag his side to 137-6.

"People will rejoice that Darren Sammy has got something to show from his years in charge of the West Indies. He's a delightful man, they've managed to reintegrate Chris Gayle into that side and they've had a wonderful tournament."

Sri Lanka never got to grips with the chase and, although Nuwan Kulasekara's 13-ball 26 gave them hope, they were bowled out for 101 in the 19th over.

The defeat was Sri Lanka's fourth in as many finals after losing the 2009 World T20 final to Pakistan, as well at the 2007 and 2011 World Cups to Australia and India respectively.

West Indies had dominated the game from the late 1970s through to the 1990s, winning the first two World Cups and terrorising batsmen with a seemingly endless supply of world-class pace bowlers.

However, a fall from grace in all formats had seen them not lift a major trophy since ninth-wicket pair Courtney Browne and Ian Bradshaw added 71 to beat England in the 2004 Champions Trophy final, and this comeback was of a similar magnitude.


West Indies are the only team to win the World Cup, World T20 and Champions Trophy outright. India also have their name on all three titles, but shared the 2002 Champions Trophy with Sri Lanka.

After Johnson Charles was removed by Kulasekara in the first over of the match, Gayle was trapped lbw by Ajantha Mendis. The spinner went on to benefit from two poor lbw decisions by Simon Taufel - umpiring his last game before retirement - on the way to figures of 4-12.

But Samuels arrived to dish out some brutal treatment to pace bowler Lasith Malinga, with one enormous straight six carrying high in to the top tier of the R Premadasa Stadium.

He was caught at deep mid-wicket off 18-year-old spinner Akila Dananjaya, but the Windies took 29 from the final 17 balls of the innings as skipper Sammy finished unbeaten on 26 from 15 deliveries.

Even then, Sri Lanka looked well placed, only for the Windies to gather more momentum when Ravi Rampaul produced a beautiful delivery to bowl Tillakaratne Dilshan for a duck.

The hosts were able to turn to the experience of Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene but, even though the captains past and present were able to compile a stand of 42, the required run-rate was always rising.
Wonderful Watson

Australia's Shane Watson was named man of the tournament. The all-rounder hit the most runs (249), the second most sixes (15) and took the second most wickets (11).

With the spin of Samuels and Sunil Narine slowing the scoring, Sangakkara eventually dragged Samuel Badree to Kieron Pollard at deep mid-wicket.

Angelo Mathews departed quickly before Jayawardene, who had twice been dropped in the deep, buckled under the mounting task, top-edging a reverse sweep off Narine to Sammy.

That began a collapse that saw Sri Lanka lose four wickets for nine runs and, although Kulasekara showed some late fight, West Indies' triumph was sealed when Malinga was caught at long on off Narine, who finished with devastating figures of 3-9.

The Windies came together to dance on the square in celebration, celebrations that seemed unlikely before the intervention of the brilliant Samuels.

[The Hen]

Arse.

But I bet the Lankans danced up a storm.

[MajGenl.Meade]

Fantastic! Didn't watch it - Tottenham were beating Aston Vanilla 2-0 at the Lane

Meade

[oldr_n_wsr]

I was flipping channels over the weekend and I actually came across a cricket match on ESPN (I think it was ESPN). Didn't stick around long enough as the guy with the paddle just stood there for about 5 minutes and I couldn't take it any longer.

[dales]

You were watching the highlights of the match, oldr.

[oldr_n_wsr]

[Gob]

You were watching the highlights of the match, oldr.

Ps. O-n-W, a paddle? Are you sure it wasn't kayaking you were watching?

[The Hen]

Fnaaar Dales x 100.

[Lord Jim]

You were watching the highlights of the match, oldr.

My LOL moment of the day...

[MajGenl.Meade]

That reminds me to ask - what does the green guy really mean? I thought it must be the emotion of jealousy but clearly not.

And a very funny comeback Dales!

[Sean]

I always took Mr Green to mean, "I'm being a right cheeky bastard!".

[MajGenl.Meade]

Surely not. This is the one that means that:

[oldr_n_wsr]

You were watching the highlights of the match, oldr.

Ps. O-n-W, a paddle? Are you sure it wasn't kayaking you were watching?

Certainly not, the only water around was the sweat on the guy standing there (with the paddle) in the sun. He had some kind of helmet with a facemask and no life vest on. I did flip back and saw some other guy take what looked like a softball and roll it towards a guy (again with a paddle, helmet and facemask) who was standing in a garden gateway. Of course he could not swing the paddle normally as the fence of the gate was in the way, so he kinda underswung it (not quite a golf swing, not quite a smack one give to a kid on their butt). He missed and another 5 minutes entailed. I changed the channel never to return (put it on "skip" on the remote)