Shimron Hetmyer came out to bat and put on a show batting at 3. Hetmyer came when an early wicket fell and put on a show while Rovman Powell scored a brilliant half-century. Others chipped in as Zimbabwe had a night to forget. Musekiwa dropped Hetmyer twice and boy he made them pay and now the two-time champions have posted a mammoth 254/6 in 20 overs. Zimbabwe with all to do now.
West Indies gets off to a flier despite losing a couple of wickets in powerplay.Â
Put into bat first, Brandon King and captain Shai Hope came out to bat for West Indies while Richard Ngarava had ball in hand for Zimbabwe. Ngarava bowled a good first over. Blessing Muzarabani came onto bowl from the other end. He too bowled a good over. Ngarava gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side. King then took on Ngarava by pulling it in front of square over deep midwicket for the maximum. Ngarava drew first blood as he removed King for 9 off 12 balls with a maximum to his name. The deep backward square took the catch.
Shimron Hetmyer came out to bat next and got off the mark with a boundary as he went up and over the leg side for a boundary. Muzarabani continued as Hetmyer cleared short fine leg for one bounce and over the ropes. Hetmyer got a reprieve when he was batting on 9 as Musekiwa dropped a sitter in the deep. Ngarava continued and gave away 4 leg byes to the batting side. Hetmyer slapped the ball past deep backward point for a boundary. Hetmyer pulled it away in front of square over midwicket for a boundary.
Hope joined the fun as he found the gap between cover and mid-off for a boundary. Brad Evans came out to bat next. Hope smashed the ball over extra covers for a boundary. Evans had the last laugh as he removed Hope for 14 off 12 balls with 2 fours to his name as the deep midwicket fielder took the catch. Drinks was taken after which Rovman Powell came out to bat next. At the end of the powerplay, West Indies were 55/2 in 6 overs with Hetmyer unbeaten on 20 off 11 balls while Powell is with him on 1 off 1 ball.
Shimron Hetmyer drives West Indies forward as they ace the middle overs.Â
Graeme Cremer came into the attack post the powerplay. Hetmyer took on Cremer and heaved it away over midwicket for the maximum. Hetmyer went big again as he launched the ball down the ground for the maximum. Sikandar Raza came into the attack next as Hetmyer pumped the ball over and thumped it over deep midwicket for the maximum.
Hetmyer went big again as he got forward and picked it up by whipping it over deep square leg for the maximum. Hetmyer went big again as he swept the next ball over deep square leg fence for the maximum. Hetmyer got his fifty in 19 balls. Cremer continued as Powell finished as he rocked back and opened his bat face and pulled it into the gap between long-on and deep midwicket for a boundary.
Raza came back into the attack. Hetmyer took it on and smashed it over deep midwicket region as the ball sailed over the fence. The 100 came up for West Indies in 9.1 overs. The 50-run stand came up between the duo on 9.1 overs. Hetmyer then crunched it away by slicing it to the right of deep backward point for a boundary. Powell survived a close LBW call as the umpire said no and the Chevrons lost their review as well.
Powell came out to bat next as he slashed it away past backward point for a boundary. West Indies were 115/2 in 10 overs. Cremer continued and bowled a quiet over. Brad Evans came back into the attack. Evans should have dismissed Hetmyer but guess what Musekiwa dropped the catch easily. Powell took on Evans by whipping it over deep square leg region for the maximum.
Dion Myers came out to bat next. Hetmyer sliced the ball away over short third man as the slice went to the short third fielder as another wicket fell here. Powell joined in the fun as he smashed it away for a boundary. Powell then powered the bowler over long-off for the maximum. The 150 came up for West Indies in 13 overs. Evans continued as Powell swatted it away over long-off easily for the maximum. Powell then got an edge and away to the third man fielder for a boundary. He also tried to hit boundaries and got a top edge over the keeper for a boundary.
Drinks was taken after which play resumed at 169/2 in 14 overs. Graeme Cremer came to bowl another over. Powell got his fifty in 29 balls. Hetmyer took on Cremer as he nailed the slog sweep over wide long-on for the maximum. Cremer then came back and dismissed Hetmyer for 85 off 34 balls with 7 fours and 7 sixes to his name as a brilliant innings came to an end. Sherfane Rutherford came out to bat next and got off the mark.
West Indies were 179/3 in 15 overs with Powell unbeaten on 51 off 30 balls and Rutherford unbeaten on 2 off 2 balls.
Late order fighting helped West Indies gets past 250 with ease.Â
Raza came back to bowl the 16th over as Powell took him on and pummelled it over midwicket for the maximum. Raza injured himself but that was not a costly miss. Raza overstepped while Rutherford slapped it away over diving extra covers for a boundary. Muzarabani returned and got rid of Powell for 59 off 35 balls with 4 fours and 4 sixes to his name. Romario Shepherd came out to bat next.
Rutherford hit a boundary by cutting it past backward point for a boundary. The 200 came up for West Indies in 16.5 overs. Rutherford went big and picked it up and swivelling over backward square leg for the maximum. Evans continued as Shepherd went big and cleared his front leg for the maximum. Ngarava came to bowl the 19th over of the innings. Shepherd took on Ngarava and deposited the ball over deep backward point for the maximum. Shepherd went big as he got on the front foot and launched the ball over extra covers for the maximum.
Ngarava came back and got rid of Shepherd fell for 21 off 10 balls with 3 sixes to his name as he was holed out at long-on. Jason Holder came out to bat next and got off the mark as well. Rutherford took on Ngarava and deposited it over extra covers for the maximum. Muzarabani came onto bowl the final over as Holder took on Blessing and launched it down the ground over the bowler’s head for the maximum.
Holder went big again and heaved it over midwicket for the maximum. Blessing came back and removed Holder for 13 off 4 balls with 2 sixes to his name as he was holed out in the deep. Matthew Forde came out to bat next. Forde got off the mark as well while Rutherford hit the boundary by slicing it over backward point for a boundary. West Indies were 254/6 in 20 overs with Rutherford unbeaten on 31 off 13 balls with 3 fours and 2 sixes to his name while Forde was unbeaten on 1 off 1 ball. 21 extras given by the Zimbabwe bowlers.
It was a tough day for Zimbabwe bowlers with Richard Ngarava finished with 2/47 in 4 overs. Blessing Muzarabani finished with 2/42 in 4 overs. Brad Evans finished with 1/46 in 4 overs. Graeme Cremer finished with 1/38 in 4 overs. Sikandar Raza bowled 3 overs for 52 runs while Dion Myers only over went for 19 runs. So, the target for Zimbabwe was now 255 runs off 20 overs.
Who’s Winning, Zimbabwe or West Indies?Â
West Indies have got huge runs on the board and this is a huge total. Zimbabwe has to bat out of their skins to win from here. They are up against it. Can they make a match out of this 255 chase? Only time will tell as West Indies have dominated this game so far.
Also Read:Â ICC T20 WC 2026: Zimbabwe Aims To Cause Ripples Against Formidable West Indies