Mumbai, Feb 23 (IANS) Shimron Hetmyer unleashed a power-hitting blitzkrieg, raining sixes in his 34-ball 85, and shared a century partnership with Rovman Powell (59) as the West Indies posted a massive 254/6 against a totally outclassed Zimbabwe in a Group 1 clash in the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.
This is the highest team score by any team in the T20 World Cup 2026 and the second-highest ever in the history of the T20 World Cup.
Asked to bat first, Hetmyer blasted the fastest fifty by a West Indies batter in the T20 World Cup, reaching the milestone in 19 balls, hitting four boundaries and five maximums in the process, improving on his own record for the fastest fifty by a West Indies batter in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Hetmyer had earlier blasted a half-century in 22 balls against Scotland in the opening match of this World Cup at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, breaking the previous record of fifty in 23 balls by Chris Gayle at the Oval in 2009.
Powell was a bit sedate compared to his partner in reaching his half-century in 29 balls as they shared a massive 122-run partnership for the third wicket as West Indies powered to the biggest total at the Wankhede Stadium in this T20 World Cup.
Hetmyer came in to bat after the fall of Brandon King, to Richard Ngarava, who returned to the playing XI after recovering from an injury, in the third over, with the West Indies at 17/1. Hetmyer shared a 37-run partnership with skipper Shai Hope (14), who fell to a brilliant one-handed diving catch in the deep by Brian Bennett off Brad Evans.
The 29-year-old left-hander from Guyana started slowly and enjoyed two lives, put down by the same fielder on either side of his fifty, and unleashed a mesmerising array of shots that left the Zimbabwe players shell-shocked.
Hetmyer, who used the cut, swirl pull, and inside-out lofted shots to good effect, started with a four off Richard Ngarava in the third over and another off Blessings Muzarabani in the next over. He got a life when Tashinga Musekiwa grassed a straightforward chance at long-leg on a swivel pull off Muzarabani.
Hetmyer was on 10 at that time and launched a blitzkrieg soon after, hitting Ngarava for back-to-back boundaries in the fifth over, blasting sixes off successive balls off Graeme Cremer in the seventh over, the first one a swipe across the line that landed in the deep mid-wicket stand and the next over the cow corner.
In the next over, he hammered Zimbabwe skipper Sikander Raza for three sixes in four legal deliveries as West Indies raced to 92/2 in the eighth over, reaching his half-century in 19 balls.
He continued in the same vein after his half-century, blasting Sikander Raza to the biggest six of the night — a 108-metre monster into cow corner — in the 10th over and followed it up with a four off the next legal delivery. He scored 33 runs off Raza in nine balls. He was dropped once again when, at 72, Musekiwa was again the culprit.
Powell joined the fun and unleashed a few big hits of his own, hitting four fours and three sixes as he reached his fifty off 29 balls. They reached the 100 of their partnership off 45 balls. Just when it looked like Hetmyer would reach his century, he was out, mistiming a swipe off Cramer and was caught by Bennett for 85 off 34 balls, hammering seven fours and an equal number of sixes during his brilliant knock. Powell too departed soon after, caught by Musekiwa off Muzaabani for 59 off 35 balls (4×4, 4×6).
With Hetmyer and Powell going great guns, the West Indies scored 139/2 in the middle-overs, which is the second-highest runs in this stage of a match, behind the 141/3 blasted by Sri Lanka against Kenya in 2007.
To add to Zimbabwe’s woes, skipper Raza had to go off the field with an injury as he tried to take evasive action when Powell blasted back a full-toss at him.
Sherfane Rutherford (31 not out off 13 balls) and Jason Holder (13 in four balls), who struck Muzarbani for sixes off successive balls in the final over as the West Indies posted a massive total, leaving Zimbabwe a mountain to climb in the second innings.
Brief scores:
West Indies 254/6 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 85, Rovman Powell 59, Sherfane Rutherford 31 not out; Blessing Muzarabani 2-42, Richard Ngarava 2-47) against Zimbabwe
–IANS
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