KOLKATA: Man of the match Marlon Samuels taunted Australia spin legend Shane Warne after his unbeaten 85 set the West Indies up for a sensational World Twenty20 title triumph on Sunday.
The right-handed batsman's 66-ball knock kept the Windies in with a chance of successfully beating England's 155-9 total after openers Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle fell early for a combined five runs.
Samuels' scintillating 85 included nine boundaries and two sixes and laid the foundations for Carlos Brathwaite to dramatically hit four consecutive sixes as the Windies won with two balls to spare in Kolkata.
The 35-year-old cheekily dedicated the Windies' historic second World T20 title to Warne, who has clashed with Samuels on a number of occasions in the past.
“Everyday i come out to play cricket I’ve my kids in mind,” he said while talking to reporters in the post-final press conference.
“But i played this match specifically and honestly for Shane Warne as it seems that he has a problem with me since our recent test series against Australia,” added Samuels.
The pair also had an infamous run-in during Australia's Big Bash League in 2013 and Warne rekindled the feud when he criticised Samuels following his dismissal against India in Thursday's WT20 semi-final.
“Shane Warne has been talking continuously and all I want to say is this is for Shane Warne,” said the right-hander from Jamaica.
“I never disrespected him. I don’t know what's the problem. I think he has a lot inside him.
“I don’t appreciate the way that he talks about me.
“May be he is doing this because my face is real and his is not,” added Samuels.
Samuels made just eight in the Windies' seven-wicket victory over India in the last-four, but his monumental innings on Sunday was reminiscent of his contribution in the final four years ago.
The West Indies won their first World T20 title in 2012 with Samuels scoring 78 against Sri Lanka in the final.
“I don't worry about semi-finals because when it comes to finals I always turn up for the team,” he boasted.
