Samuels' 89* completes West Indies sweep
Marlon Samuels' highest score in T20Is, an unbeaten 66-ball 89, steered West Indies to whitewash-sealing seven-wicket win at Warner Park
Marlon Samuels' highest score in T20Is, an unbeaten 66-ball 89, steered West Indies to whitewash-sealing seven-wicket win at Warner Park
Commentator: Akshay Gopalakrishnan
West Indies were clinical with the ball all series, and today, they also displayed their batting might in response to a much-improved Afghanistan batting performance. But they were still too good for the visiting team. Afghanistan have shown what they can do in ODI cricket recently. If they can find that form again, it should make for a lot less lopsided one-day series. We have a couple of days' break before the teams meet in the first ODI. Of course, there is the Champions Trophy, where a real cracker takes place today with New Zealand locking horns with the hosts England. Hope to see you then. Until then, it's goodbye.
"Our team did not play well," says Afghanistan captain Asghar Stanikzai. "Our batsmen, especially, didn't take responsibility. But we are looking forward to the ODI series and hopefully we will do well. If we play a lot of matches against Full Member nations, hopefully we can do better. We learned a lot from the T20s and I would like to congratulate the West Indies team."
"We got three-nil. I don't think we bowled as well as we could have, we went away from the plan," says West Indies captain Carlos Brathwaite. "Marlon showed all his experience and all his class. If you lose against them, it's a cricket game, and at the end of the day, Afghanistan showed better fight with the bat and put up a good fight. Kudos to my team. Good teams have bad days, I don't want to call them a bad team. They have some very good days ahead of them. Three-nil against any team is good."
"I play any role that the team gives me. When wickets fell, I let the guys bat around me," says Samuels. A team asks me to play a role and I play a role. We've got lots of young, talented batsmen. Once they settle in, they can play all their shots."
Marlon Samuels is Man of the Match and Man of the series. No prices for guessing that.
10.35pm It may have gone to the last over, but it was a lot more straightforward than that, really. West Indies clearly the better team on the night. The reigning World Champions of the shortest format sweep the series 3-0. Afghanistan's batsmen attempted one million-dollar stroke too many and probably ended up making a lot lesser than they would have liked. They also employed strange tactics on the field, holding back Rashid Khan, their best bowler, till the 11th over. Marlon Samuels finishes with his best T20I score and it was a characteristic Samuels innings, consolidating for the early part and then unfurling his power. Afghanistan came into this series on the back of a 11-match winnings streak and have been dished out a harsh reality check. Presentations shortly.
Shapoor to bowl the final over. He has one to defend
Carlos Brathwaite's team will not want to give Afghanistan the slightest chance, for an upset - if it should occur - is what will be remembered most from this series
Marlon Samuels' highest score in T20Is, an unbeaten 66-ball 89, steered West Indies to whitewash-sealing seven-wicket win at Warner Park