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West Indies' power-hitter Shimron Hetmyer recorded the fastest fifty by a West Indies batter in the history of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup during his side's clash against Zimbabwe in the 2026 edition at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. The left-hander brought up his half-century in just 19 balls.
With this effort, Hetmyer surpassed his own previous record of a 22-ball fifty against Scotland at the Eden Gardens earlier in the T20 World Cup 2026. Hetmyer was eventually dismissed in the 15th over after a blistering 34-ball 85, an innings studded with seven sixes and seven fours. With his seven maximums in the match, Hetmyer equalled the record for the joint-most sixes in a single T20 World Cup edition, tying with Nicholas Pooran's record of 17 maximums in the T20 World Cup 2024. After being put in to bat first, West Indies lost Brandon King early. Coming in to bat at number 3, Hetmyer opened his account straightaway, as he smashed a boundary on the very first ball that he faced by Richard Ngarava. In Richard Ngarava's third over, Hetmyer scored three consecutive boundaries and from then on, there was no looking back for the left-hander. He slammed two sixes off Graeme Cremer in the seventh over and then took on the opposition captain, Sikandar Raza, and hit him for three sixes in an over, taking 20 runs in the eighth over. He launched yet another onslaught on Raza as he scored two boundaries and a six in the 10th over. Cremer eventually claimed Hetmyer's wicket in the 15th over, after scoring 86 off 34 balls. At the other end, Rovman Powell also played a scintillating knock as well, registering a 29-ball half-century. Powell was dismissed after scoring 59 off 35 deliveries. The duo stitched together a 122-run partnership in just 52 balls, putting West Indies firmly in control of the contest with their explosive middle-order stand. (ANI)
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