Carlos Brathwaite wrote himself into West Indies history books by hitting four successive sixes to finish off England in the last over of the 2016 World T20 final. A hard-hitting allrounder, Brathwaite made his international debut in the limited-overs formats in 2011 but it was his contributions to West Indies' Test series in Australia in 2015-16 that helped gain him an IPL contract. He then proved the wisdom of Delhi Daredevils' decision to sign him above more high-profile names by taking 3 for 23 and clubbing 34 from 10 balls to give West Indies their second World T20 title.

Brathwaite provided a glimpse of his talent when he announced himself with a haul of 7 for 90 on his first-class debut against Trinidad & Tobago, and backed it up with a consistent season that yielded 26 sticks in eight games. His performances won early recognition when he was picked for the Bangladesh tour later in 2011, making his his ODI and T20I debuts, but he had to wait more than three years for his next chance. He made a comeback to the limited-overs formats on the tour of South Africa in January 2015, before making his Test debut on the tour of Australia in December 2015.

Despite West Indies' overall struggles, he impressed in his first two Tests. At the Boxing Day game in Melbourne, he helped Darren Bravo stem a first-innings collapse with a 59 on debut at No. 8. In the rain-affected Sydney Test, he struck a lively 71-ball 69. During the IPL 2016 player auction, he attracted a surprise bid of Rs 4.2 crore (US$620,000) from Delhi Daredevils, 14 times his base price of Rs 30 lakh. A couple of months later, with West Indies needing 19 from six balls, he completed victory over England in the most emphatic manner possible to confirm his dramatic rise.
ESPNcricinfo staff