England at World T20: Story of Eoin Morgan's men's tournament
By Oli Burley
Last Updated: 04/04/16 1:27am
England were an over away from winning the World T20 - until West Indies' six-machine Carlos Brathwaite broke their hearts.
With the Caribbean outfit needing 19 from the final six balls in Kolkata, Brathwaite lashed the first FOUR balls of Ben Stokes' over into the stands to ensure it would be they and not England that became the first two-time champions of the World Twenty20.
It was a thrilling end to an absorbing tournament for Eoin Morgan's men, who stunned South Africa, dug themselves out of a massive hole against Afghanistan and performed brilliantly to oust previously unbeaten New Zealand in the semi-finals.
Here is the story of THEIR World T20...
Super 10: England 182-6 lost to West Indies 183-4 (18.1 overs) by six wickets
Scorecard | Report | How it happened
Chris Gayle upgraded himself from 'world boss' to 'universe boss' after smashing England to all parts to become the first player to score two centuries in World T20 cricket.
His unbeaten hundred propelled the Windies across the line in some comfort after Joe Root (48 from 36) had top-scored in what appeared a decent England total before Gayle teed off, striking 11 sixes to break his own record for the most hit in a World T20 knock. Gayle's 47-ball century was also a competition record, for fewest deliveries faced, but England could at least look to the history books for consolation - Paul Collingwood's side going on to lift the trophy in 2010 after losing to the Windies in their first match.
What they said - JAMES ANDERSON: "We gave Gayle too many freebies and let him get going. When he gets going like that it's really difficult to stop him. He is such a clean striker of the ball, he puts fear into bowlers. You can come up with plans for him, to get him out and stop him from scoring, but when he clears the ropes so easily, it does put doubts in your mind."
Super 10: England 230-8 beat South Africa 229-4 (19.4 overs) by two wickets
Scorecard | Report | How it happened
Anything Gayle can do… Joe Root reduced South Africa's attack to rubble with a stunning 83 runs off 44 balls as England chased down a target of 230 to register the highest successful run-chase in World Twenty20 history.
To be fair, England's attack fared little better - Quinton de Kock, Hashim Amla and JP Duminy all weighing in with fifties to push England to the brink of elimination at the halfway stage. That they rallied to register the second-best chase in T20Is not only demonstrated Jason Roy's potency at the top of the order - he and Alex Hales smacked 44 off the first two overs - but also the depth of the side's character. No-one could match Root for style, though, in an innings to rival his very best so far.
What they said - NASSER HUSSAIN: "Root is the best England batsman across all forms of cricket ever. I know that is a big comment but can you name another batsman who could do what he does as well as him? He is our best player, a star, and will only get better - these are the best years of his life."
Super 10: England 142-7 beat Afghanistan 127-9 by 15 runs
Scorecard | Report | How it happened
England flirted with humiliation before despatching Afghanistan in none-too-convincing style. Disbelief swamped fans watching events unfold in Delhi as England slumped to 85-7 against the Associate nation, resurrecting memories of previous humiliations.
Three wickets evaporated in four balls for the addition of no runs - the sight of Ben Stokes down on his derriere after being bowled by Rashid Khan particularly disconcerting. Moeen Ali (41no) and David Willey (20no) rallied with an unbroken stand of 57 in 5.3 overs - plundering 44 off the final three - to swell the total before the same pair, plus Adil Rashid (2-18), combined to limit Afghanistan to 127-9 despite some late, lusty blows from Shafiqullah (35 not out off 20 balls). Mission accomplished. Reputation intact, just.
What they said - PAUL FARBRACE: "There's no fudging it - we've only played half a game again, but we have won which is the most important thing. We didn't adapt. We didn't work out that the ball was skidding on and not turning. A lot played for turn that wasn't there."
Super 10: England 171-4 beat Sri Lanka 161-8 by 10 runs
Scorecard | Report | How it happened
Skipper Angelo Mathews ensured defending champions Sri Lanka didn't go out with a whimper but even his potent stroke-play couldn't eclipse an England target powered by Jos Buttler's scintillating 66 off 37 balls.
Buttler reverse-swept and ramped to his heart's content to spark England into life and the game seemed as good as up when Sri Lanka sunk to 15-4 in reply. Enter masterful Mathews, who struck Rashid for three massive maximums in a sparkling 73 not out off 54 balls. Had a dodgy hamstring not halted him pretty much in his tracks - coupled to some excellent death bowling from Chris Jordan and Ben Stokes - England's total would have been in serious danger. Let's call it an heroic failure.
What they said - MIKE ATHERTON: "When Buttler is in at the end of the innings, in for the last five or six overs of an innings, he is unstoppable. No matter who is bowling at him, he is a real threat. He is one of the most destructive players in the game, and it's a long time since England could say they've got one of those."
Semi-final: England 159-3 beat New Zealand 153-8 (17.1 overs) by seven wickets
Scorecard | Report | How it happened
England locked down their first World Twenty20 final appearance since the title-winning campaign of 2010 as previously unbeaten New Zealand were out-gunned by Jason Roy; the Surrey opener scored his maiden T20I fifty off just 26 balls, making it the second fastest fifty by an Englishman in a World T20 - just one ball slower than Eoin Morgan's half-century in 2012 against the West Indies.
Roy crashed 11 fours and two sixes in a phenomenally powerful 78 off 43 balls after Stokes (3-26) and Jordan (1-24) had again nailed their yorkers to restrict the Black Caps to 64-7 from the last 10 overs of their innings. At this stage, my friends, that's simply not good enough.
What they said - NASSER HUSSAIN: "After the tour that he had in South Africa, where his T20 stats were poor, past regimes would have dropped Roy for James Vince. But they stuck with him and Roy has stayed true to himself and this 'new England' and said 'I'm not going to play for myself, I'm going to play for the team in this carefree attitude' and that's come through. That positive instinct shone through and he was absolutely outstanding."
Final: England 155-9 lost to West Indies 161-6 (19.4 overs) by four wickets
Scorecard | Report | How it happened
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! That was the story in a nutshell as Brathwaite smashed his match-winning sixes but the showpiece event at Eden Gardens was a cracker throughout. England failed to pick the variations of leg-spinner Samuel Badree in the powerplay as they slipped to 23-3, but Root, as has become customary, bailed them out to an extent with a fine 54 as Morgan's side posted what looked like a working total.
It looked far more than that when the inspired move of bringing on Root to bowl the second over saw him pick up the wicket of Johnson Charles and the prized scalp of Gayle in the space of three balls and Willey's capture of Lendl Simmons left West Indies reeling on 11-3. Marlon Samuels' excellent 85 from 66 balls kept the 2012 champions alive, though, and when they appeared dead and buried, Brathwaite made himself a hero.
What they said - EOIN MORGAN: "I'm so proud of everyone in the squad. They have shown an immense amount of character throughout the tournament. We haven't done enough to win it but we've put ourselves in a good position. I truly believe this is the start of something special. Looking into the future, we have a huge amount of talent to work with."