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England can take T20 heart when the dust settles

Things look rosy for English team despite Stokes' mauling

Stephen Brenkley
Cricket Correspondent
Monday 04 April 2016 19:18 BST
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Ben Stokes is comforted after the World T20 final
Ben Stokes is comforted after the World T20 final

In the cold light of day, the astonishment had diminished not a jot. West Indies were Twenty20 champions of the world and England (and everybody else) could hardly grasp what had happened.

As much as the plaudits deservedly rained down on Carlos Brathwaite, whose four consecutive sixes in the final over had snatched victory from defeat, there was too an outpouring of sympathy for Ben Stokes, the bowler whom he dismantled. There was less understanding for the man of the match Marlon Samuels, whose gracelessness in triumph was at odds with his sublime innings of 85 from 66 balls.

It was a sensational climax, befitting a riveting tournament which has only advanced the cause of Twenty20, possibly at the expense of all other forms of the game. Skills and thrills were supplied in equal measure.

When the dust has settled, which may take some time for poor Stokes, England should still look back on the competition with a degree of pleasure. Of course, they will always regret losing the final in such dramatic circumstances but they should still be able to reflect that reaching it was an achievement presumed to be well beyond their scope.

It was not simply bluster from their captain, Eoin Morgan, when he spoke of a bright future for his young team. He would say that wouldn’t he, but this was a young squad with modern gifts and unrivalled innovation which had already come through tough times in every match they played.

The only possible cause for concern is that their sporting innocence might have been sullied forever. England, the new England forged out of adversity and failure a year ago, have built their reputation on a fearless approach which mean that they would not take a backward step.

In turn this meant a recognition that it would go wrong occasionally, that such spirited commitment would mean some reversals. But not like this, not in a final in which they had under-performed with the bat but retained their youthful belief that anything was still possible. Now they know the truth of that all too well – but it was not one of their own who emphasised the point but the muscularity of Carlos Brathwaite.

One of Morgan’s primary assurances was that they were all in it together and there would be no blame or ire attached to Stokes. That may be so but Stokes is likely to take some time to recover from this unprecedented mauling. He will need some tender loving care.

Part of Stokes’s formidable reputation has been built not only on his prodigious talent but on his liking for and ability to handle the big moment. On Sunday in Eden Gardens he was found wanting and it will take some time before he can say with conviction how he relishes the responsibility.

Samuels’ decision to scorn Stokes, with whom he has a history of disagreement, was poor. He and Brathwaite had already done their talking with their bats. It eroded one of the most magnificent feats that any sporting final has witnessed.

International Twenty20 will now revert for a while to being an afterthought after Test and one-day series on bilateral tours. The ICC should give urgent consideration to how such tours should be more effectively organised. One way is for each element of a tour to count towards an overall series winner.

The 2016 World Twenty20 has ensured that the format has a respectability it could never have expected 10 years ago. These are changing but hugely promising times for cricket as we have seen in England and the West Indies. There is the feeling that it could be the start of something. The moment must be seized.

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