Shimron Hetmyer made a stunning 85 off 34 balls as West Indies began their T20 World Cup Super 8 stage with an emphatic 107-run victory over Zimbabwe.
Hetmyer hit seven sixes and seven fours as he mixed finesse with power – at a strike rate of 250 – to help West Indies post a mammoth 254-6.
The left-handed Guyanese was dropped twice by Tashinga Musekiwa – on nine and 70 – before he was eventually caught at deep mid-wicket by Brian Bennett off experienced spinner Graeme Cremer.
Rovman Powell then upped the ante after a patient start to chip in with a 35-ball 59 before middle-order cameos from Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder provided further impetus.
West Indies’ total was the second-highest in T20 World Cup history – behind Sri Lanka’s 260-6 against Kenya in 2007 – on what was chastening day for Zimbabwe’s attack, Cremer (9.50) the only player with an economy under 10.
No side had ever chased more than 230 at the Wankhede Stadium in T20 internationals, or in the Indian Premier League, and Zimbabwe soon found themselves in trouble.
Akeal Hosein bowled Bennett, Zimbabwe’s leading runscorer, with a beauty for five then three balls later snared Ryan Burl for a duck to leave the Chevrons reeling at 20-3 in the third over.
Fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie ran through the Zimbabwe middle order en route to 4-28 – starting the run with a peach of a delivery to dismiss Dion Myers for 28.
With the game long gone Brad Evans added some respectability to the margin of defeat with some defiant late hitting – whacking five sixes in his 21-ball 43 – in a record 10th-wicket stand at a World Cup of 44 with Richard Ngarava.
More to follow…