In the West Indies’ opening Super Eights match against Zimbabwe, Shimron Hetmyer lit up the Wankhede Stadium with a blistering 19-ball half-century. The 29-year-old not only dominated the bowlers but also broke his own record for the fastest T20 World Cup fifty for the West Indies, surpassing the 22-ball half-century he had set earlier in the tournament against Scotland, which had already eclipsed Chris Gayle’s previous mark.
Notably, Brandon King departed early, which invited some pressure on the Caribbeans. Captain Shai Hope was struggling as well, but nothing bothered Hetmyer, who looked to be on a mission. He was dealing in boundaries and eventually became only the third cricketer after Sahibzada Farhan and Pathum Nissanka to score over 200 runs in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026.
Hetmyer departed for 85
Hetmyer’s blistering knock came to an end in the 15th over of the match, following a stunning catch from Brian Bennett. He departed for 85 runs off 34 balls and set the tone for the finishers to come in and continue with the same template.
On the other hand, Rovman Powell played a scintillating knock as well, registering a 29-ball half-century. He had a slow start to the match but Hetmyer’s knock helped him settle well. The duo stitched an 85-run partnership in the middle, which helped West Indies fight back after losing two early wickets.
For Zimbabwe, nothing really worked in their favour. The slow and turning conditions of Sri Lanka helped them qualify for the Super Eights but the flat surface in Mumbai didn’t allow them to settle down. West Indies, in the meantime, will hope to score around 230 runs in the match, which could be enough.
Zimbabwe (Playing XI): Brian Bennett, Tadiwanashe Marumani (wk), Ryan Burl, Sikandar Raza (c), Tashinga Musekiwa, Tony Munyonga, Dion Myers, Brad Evans, Graeme Cremer, Richard Ngarava, Blessing Muzarabani
West Indies (Playing XI): Brandon King, Shai Hope (wk/c), Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, Jason Holder, Matthew Forde, Akeal Hosein, Gudakesh Motie, Shamar Joseph
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