Colombo: West Indies Skipper Darren Sammy on Sunday night dedicated their World Twenty20 triumph to fans back home and said it is a step in the "right direction" and will usher in a new beginning for cricket in the Caribbean islands.
An inspired West Indies clinched the crown with a comfortable 36-run victory over Sri Lanka, winning a major global title after over three decades.
"Thank you to everyone who supported us. The tournament is for the fans. The Caribbean people wanted this. This moment we're going to live forever. We went through a lot in the last two years," Sammy said at the post-match presentation ceremony here.
"I can't say we are back but this is a step in the right direction," he added.
The skipper said, from Jamaica to Guyana, the entire island nation will be celebrating tonight. "The mission was to win the T20 World cup, the belief we left the Caribbean with has pulled us through. Today we were down and out but our never-say-die attitude came out."
"For the last two years we've shown the never-say-die attitude, but we haven't had the results. There's a special gentleman in the stand called Peter Matthews, he's supported us through rain and sun, he's the happiest man right now."
"The love we felt from the Sri Lankan people is tremendous and we want to thank them for that."
Riding on Marlon Samuels' brilliant counter-attacking knock, the Windies lifted the trophy. "He has been wonderful since he came back. I hope he keeps doing the good work in the coming days. The two years he missed, two years of international runs. He's scored so much since he's been back," Sammy said.
On big-hitting opener Chris Gayle, Sammy said, "Chris is always a plus. It is always good to have him in the team and see him enjoying the game with his pals. We have a lot of respect for him in the dressing room."