West Indies sent a thunderous warning to their 2026 T20 World Cup rivals on Monday, unleashing a brutal six-hitting assault to crush Zimbabwe by 107 runs at the Wankhede Stadium in their Group One Super 8 clash.
In a batting display that redefined power-hitting, the two-time champions plundered a mammoth 254 for six, the second-highest total in men’s T20 World Cup history.
The Men in Maroon brought with it a record-breaking 19 sixes, the joint most ever hit in a single innings in the competition’s history.
Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell were the chief destroyers, smashing turbo-charged half-centuries as Zimbabwe’s bowlers were dispatched to all corners of the iconic stadium.
The total proved insurmountable for Zimbabwe, who were bundled out for just 147, suffering their first defeat of the tournament after a perfect run in the group stages.
The carnage began in earnest from the moment Hetmyer arrived at the crease, after the Windies were asked to take the first strike.
After the early loss of Brandon King for nine and captain Shai Hope for 14, Hetmyer took the attack to the Zimbabwean spinners with breathtaking disdain.
The left-hander, thriving in his new role at number three, brought up a 19-ball fifty, breaking his own record for the fastest T20 World Cup fifty by a West Indian, set earlier in the tournament.
Hetmyer was particularly severe on Graeme Cremer and Sikandar Raza, smashing 56 runs off just 17 balls against the slow bowlers.
All seven of his sixes came against spin. The Guyanese could count himself lucky as he was given two lives, dropped on nine and then again on 70 by Tashinga Musekiwa.
Hetmyer surely made Zimbabwe pay dearly, eventually falling for a breathtaking 85, which came off 34 balls with seven fours and as many sixes.
Once Hetmyer departed, the baton was seamlessly passed to former captain Rovman Powell. After a cautious start that left him on 15 off 17 balls, Powell exploded, clearing the boundary ropes with impunity.
His brutal assault included a monstrous 106-metre maximum over extra-cover, as the Jamaican reached his fifty off just 29 balls before finally falling for 59.
The late-order fireworks continued as Sherfane Rutherford, with a swashbuckling 31 not out, Romario Shepherd 21, and Jason Holder 13, kept the ball soaring into the night sky, propelling the Windies past the 250-run mark.
Facing a record run-chase, Zimbabwe needed a miracle. Instead, they suffered a nightmare start, slumping to 20 for three inside the first three overs.
Matthew Forde had opener Tadiwanashe Marumani brilliantly caught by Hetmyer at deep square for 14, then Akeal Hosein got one to spin and bowled Brian Bennett for five.
In the same over, Hosein had Ryan Burl holding out to Hetmyer for a duck to complete the double wicket maiden.
The brilliant Gudakesh Motie then ran through the middle order, claiming career-best T20I figures of four for 28.
Injured skipper Sikandar Raza bravely came out to bat with a damaged finger and flickered briefly for 27, but he was beautifully castled by a turning delivery from Motie, to leave the Zimbabweans in a pickle at 94 for five in the 11th over.
The end came swiftly, with Zimbabwe collapsing to 103 for nine. Craig Evans delayed the inevitable with a defiant 43, but Matthew Forde eventually wrapped up the innings to seal West Indies’ second-biggest victory in terms of runs.
(CMC)
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