On a Sky Sports Cricket Watchalong of the epic World T20 final, West Indies captain Daren Sammy revealed how a comment from Ben Stokes fired up Marlon Samuels to play a key innings and win the Player of the Match award.

There was history between the two, with Samuels’ saluting the England all-rounder as he walked off after being dismissed in a 2015 Test series between the sides. Stokes would later write of Samuels, in his autobiography Firestarter “I do not like him one bit” and described his actions after the World T20 final as showing “a total disrespect for the game”.

Samuels called Stokes a “nervous laddie” in the post-match press conference, and told his teammates that a comment from the all-rounder had fired him up during his Player of the Match-winning innings, as West Indies captain Daren Sammy explained:

“Marlon told us something, and maybe [Joe] Root could confirm that, when Marlon came in at 11-3, [Stokes] came to bowl and he said something like ‘you guys, I would like to see you come out of this one” and Marlon was just taking his time, making sure. That comment, whatever [Stokes] said to him as he walked in, that got him really focussed.”

There was initial confusion with Sammy saying Root’s name instead of Stokes’, but Root, also watching along, called into question details in the story regardless and suggested it might have been fabricated. “It would have been a good effort because Ben was at long-on, so I don’t know how that happened. He might have just made it up.”

“When he was bowling to him, Ben Stokes was bowling an over to him and he said something to Marlon during that time,” responded Sammy. “Because Marlon told us about it. He was really pumped. If you notice, in the back end, Marlon said something to him after that. But it’s all cricket man.”

Samuels finished unbeaten on 85 not out as West Indies triumphed by four wickets in a final-over finish.