By Alam Zeb Safi
LAHORE: West Indies produced one of the most dominant batting displays of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, thrashing Zimbabwe by 107 runs in the Super Eights Group 1 show at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday.
After being put in to bat, the Caribbean side responded with a breathtaking total of 254 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs. The innings was headlined by a sensational knock from Shimron Hetmyer, who smashed the fastest fifty by a West Indies batsman in T20 World Cup history.
West Indies suffered an early setback when Brandon King was caught by Musekiwa off Richard Ngarava for 9 in the third over. However, Hetmyer walked in at number three and immediately shifted the momentum. He struck a boundary off the first ball he faced and never looked back.
Hetmyer tore into Zimbabwe’s bowling attack with fearless stroke-play. He reached his fifty in just 19 balls, surpassing his own previous tournament record. His assault included three consecutive boundaries off Ngarava and two towering sixes off spinner Graeme Cremer. In one decisive over, he hammered Sikandar Raza for 20 runs, including three sixes, putting the fielding side completely on the back foot.
By the time Cremer dismissed him in the 15th over, Hetmyer had compiled a stunning 85 off 34 deliveries, striking seven fours and seven sixes at a strike rate of 250. His explosive innings laid the perfect platform for an imposing total.
Rovman Powell provided excellent support with a well-paced 59 off 35 balls, sharing a 100-run partnership for the third wicket with Hetmyer. After their stand was broken at 176, West Indies accelerated further in the death overs. Sherfane Rutherford remained unbeaten on 31 off 13 balls, Romario Shepherd smashed 21 off 10 and Jason Holder chipped in with a quick 13 off just four deliveries. West Indies crossed the 250 mark with ease, finishing at a commanding run rate of 12.70.
Zimbabwe’s bowlers struggled to contain the flow of runs. Ngarava and Blessing Muzarabani picked up two wickets each but were expensive while Raza conceded 52 runs in three overs.
Chasing a daunting target of 255, Zimbabwe needed a strong start but instead found themselves in deep trouble early. Tadiwanashe Marumani showed brief intent with 14 off 8 balls but wickets fell in quick succession. At 20 for 3 inside three overs, the chase was already slipping away.
Dion Myers offered resistance with 28 off 15 balls and captain Sikandar Raza contributed 27 off 20. However the West Indies spin duo of Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein tightened the screws. Motie was outstanding, claiming 4 for 28 in four overs while Hosein returned figures of 3 for 28. Matthew Forde also impressed with 2 for 27.
Brad Evans played a late counterattacking knock of 43 off 21 balls, striking five sixes but it was not enough to prevent Zimbabwe from being bowled out for 147 in 17.4 overs.
With this emphatic victory, West Indies secured two crucial points in the Super Eights stage and significantly boosted their net run rate.
Summarised scores:
West Indies 254/6 in 20 overs
Shimron Hetmyer 85 (34, 7 fours, 7 sixes)
Rovman Powell 59 (35, 4 fours, 4 sixes)
Sherfane Rutherford 31 not out (13, 3 fours, 2 sixes)
Romario Shepherd 21 (10, 3 sixes)
Shai Hope 14 (12)
Jason Holder 13 (4, 2 sixes)
Brandon King 9 (12)
Extras 21 (10 lb, 1 nb, 10 w)
Fall of wickets: 17 (King), 54 (Hope), 176 (Hetmyer), 194 (Powell), 229 (Shepherd), 248 (Holder)
Bowling (Zimbabwe):
Richard Ngarava 4-0-47-2
Blessing Muzarabani 4-0-42-2
Brad Evans 4-0-46-1
Graeme Cremer 4-0-38-1
Sikandar Raza 3-0-52-0
Dion Myers 1-0-19-0
Zimbabwe 147 all out in 17.4 overs
Brad Evans 43 (21, 2 fours, 5 sixes)
Dion Myers 28 (15, 3 fours, 2 sixes)
Sikandar Raza 27 (20, 2 fours, 2 sixes)
Tadiwanashe Marumani 14 (8)
Tony Munyonga 14 (16)
Others failed to reach double figures
Extras 9 (4 lb, 5 w)
Fall of wickets: 20, 20, 20, 52, 94, 94, 101, 102, 103, 147
Bowling (West Indies):
Gudakesh Motie 4-0-28-4
Akeal Hosein 4-1-28-3
Matthew Forde 3.4-0-27-2
Jason Holder 3-0-25-1
Shamar Joseph 3-0-35-0
Result: West Indies won by 107 runs.
