Mumbai, Feb 23 – Shimron Hetmyer delivered a stunning performance, smashing seven sixes and eight fours in an impressive 34-ball 85, leading West Indies to a 107-run victory over a significantly weaker Zimbabwe in a Group 1 match of the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in Mumbai on Monday.
Hetmyer's explosive batting at the Wankhede Stadium helped West Indies score a massive 254/6 in 20 overs, which is the highest team score in the T20 World Cup 2026 and the second-highest ever recorded in the tournament. This 107-run victory proved to be the largest margin of victory in this edition of the tournament.
Hetmyer's performance was so impactful that it transformed West Indies' batting into a one-sided affair, even though Rovman Powell's 35-ball 59 and his excellent partnership with Hetmyer, which was worth 122 runs, provided valuable support. The 29-year-old from Guyana, who had been playing in the middle order, moved up to number two in the batting lineup.
The target of 255 runs proved to be too challenging for Zimbabwe, and their chances of winning were effectively over when they were reduced to 20/3 in the third over. Despite being hit by a shot from Powell, captain Sikander Raza managed to score 27 runs off 20 balls, while Dion Myer added 28 runs off 15 balls (3 fours and 2 sixes).
Brad Evans also contributed significantly with 43 runs off 21 balls (2 fours and 5 sixes) in the death overs, bowling some crucial yorkers to dismiss Zimbabwe for 147 in 17.4 overs, ultimately resulting in a heavy defeat for the team. The pressure exerted by the West Indies bowlers was too much for Zimbabwe to handle.
Gudakesh Motie bowled brilliantly, taking 4 wickets for 28, while Akeal Hosein, who had taken 2 wickets for 21 at the start, added another 3 wickets for 28, and Matthew Forde took 2 wickets for 27 to complete the demolition job.
Hetmyer's outstanding performance boosted West Indies' Net Run Rate to over 5, making India's path to the semi-finals even more difficult.
However, the match ultimately belonged to Hetmyer, whose exceptional performance significantly contributed to West Indies' Net Run Rate, setting up a strong platform for their upcoming matches against South Africa and India.
In a remarkable 34-ball 85, Hetmyer broke several records, including the fastest fifty by a West Indies batsman in the T20 World Cup (in 19 balls), achieving the joint-most sixes by a batsman in the event (17), contributing to West Indies' second-highest team score of 254/6 in the 20-over format, and setting a new record for the third-wicket partnership for West Indies.
Asked to bat first, Hetmyer smashed the fastest fifty by a West Indies batsman in the T20 World Cup, reaching the milestone in 19 balls, hitting four boundaries and five maximums, surpassing his own previous record.
Hetmyer had previously smashed 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 50 in 23 balls set by Chris Gayle in 2009.
Powell contributed with a solid 59 off 35 balls, alongside Hetmyer, as they forged a crucial partnership for the third wicket, which was worth 122 runs, helping West Indies reach their highest total at the Wankhede Stadium in this T20 World Cup.
Hetmyer came to bat after the dismissal of Brandon King, who was caught by Richard Ngarava in the third over, with West Indies at 17/1. Hetmyer then shared a 37-run partnership with captain Shai Hope (14), who was caught by Brian Bennett off Brad Evans.
The 29-year-old left-hander from Guyana started cautiously, enjoying two lives, narrowly avoiding dismissal twice, before unleashing a series of powerful shots that left the Zimbabwe players stunned.
Hetmyer used the cut, pull, and loft shots to good effect, starting with a four off Richard Ngarava in the third over and another off Blessings Muzarabani in the next over. He was given a reprieve when Tashinga Musekiwa dropped a straightforward catch at long-leg off Muzarabani.
Hetmyer then accelerated, hitting back-to-back boundaries off Ngarava in the fifth over, followed by sixes off Graeme Cremer in the seventh over. He also smashed three sixes off Sikander Raza in four balls, helping West Indies reach 92/2 in the eighth over, reaching his half-century in 19 balls.
He continued his aggressive form after his half-century, hitting Raza for a mammoth six in the 10th over and another four in the next over, scoring 33 runs off Raza in nine balls. He was again dropped by Musekiwa when he was on 72.
Powell joined Hetmyer and continued to strike boundaries and sixes, reaching his fifty off 29 balls. They then put on a partnership worth 100 runs in 45 balls, which was the second-highest partnership in this stage of the tournament, behind the 141/3 achieved by Sri Lanka against Kenya in 2007.
Sherfane Rutherford (31 not out off 13 balls) and Jason Holder (13 in four balls) then accelerated, with Holder hitting sixes off successive balls in the final over, helping West Indies post a total of 254/6. Zimbabwe were left chasing a target of 255 runs.
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) beat Zimbabwe 147 all out in 17.4 overs (Brad Evans 43 not out; Gudakesh Motie 4-28, Akeal Hosein 3-28) by 107 runs
