Shimron Hetmyer’s impressive 64 runs and Romario Shepherd’s remarkable 5-20, featuring a hat-trick, led West Indies to a 35-run victory over Scotland in their initial Group C encounter at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in Kolkata. Despite a cautious start, West Indies accelerated with Hetmyer’s quick 50 off 22 balls, the fastest in West Indies’ World Cup history by a male player.
Hetmyer’s aggressive batting, including two fours and six sixes at a strike rate of 177.78, along with contributions from Rovman Powell and Sherfane Rutherford, guided West Indies to a competitive total of 182/5. In response, Scotland made a promising chase reaching 115/3, but Jason Holder’s crucial wicket of Richie Berrington and Shepherd’s fiery spell in the death overs turned the game in West Indies’ favor.
Shepherd’s exceptional performance, claiming a hat-trick and finishing with four wickets in five balls, dismantled Scotland’s batting lineup as they collapsed to 147 all out. Holder and the West Indies bowlers dominated, securing a convincing victory in the tournament opener.
Brief scores: West Indies 182/5 in 20 overs (Shimron Hetmyer 64, Brandon King 35; Brad Currie 2-23, Oliver Davidson 1-23) beat Scotland 147 in 18.5 overs (Richie Berrington 42, Tom Bruce 35; Romario Shepherd 5-20, Jason Holder 3-30) by 35 runs.
