Former West Indies captain Darren Sammy has revealed that words uttered by all-rounder Ben Stokes had fired up batsman Marlon Samuels, who put on an outstanding display to help the team clinch the 2016 T20 World Cup.

Big hitter Carlos Brathwaite stole the spotlight with four straight sixes off the unfortunate Stokes in the final over, but at the other end, Samuels’ man-of-the-match 85 runs from 66 balls innings provided the backbone for the team.

According to Sammy, Samuels who came to the crease at 11 for 3 and with things looking grim for the Windies, revealed he had received added motivation.

“Marlon told us something, and maybe Root could confirm that when Marlon came in at 11-3. He 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 he (Ben Stokes) said to him as he walked in, that got him really focused,” Sammy said in a recent interview with Sky Sports’ Cricket Watch in a segment that discussed the tournament.  England batsman Joe Root, the team’s vice-captain at the time, did not seem convinced Samuels was telling the truth.

“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,” Root added.

Sticking to his guns, Sammy insisted that the event was quite possible.

“When he was bowling to him, Ben Stokes was bowling an over to him and he said something to Marlon during that time. 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.”