West Indies’ Shimron Hetmyer showcased remarkable power-hitting skills by achieving the fastest half-century by a Caribbean batter in the T20 World Cup during their Super 8 Group 1 match against Zimbabwe at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. Hetmyer reached this milestone in just 19 balls, surpassing his own previous record for the fastest fifty by a West Indies player in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Earlier in the tournament, Hetmyer had also scored a half-century in 22 balls against Scotland, setting a new record for the fastest fifty in the T20 World Cup, breaking Chris Gayle’s previous record of 23 balls set in 2009 at the Oval.
Coming in to bat after Brandon King’s dismissal in the third over with West Indies at 17/1, Hetmyer formed a crucial 37-run partnership with skipper Shai Hope. He kickstarted his innings with boundaries off Richard Ngarava and Blessings Muzarabani, and despite a dropped catch early on, he went on a hitting spree, including hitting sixes off consecutive balls in the seventh over.
In a spectacular display of aggressive batting, Hetmyer hammered Zimbabwe skipper Sikander Raza for three sixes in four deliveries, propelling West Indies to 92/2 in just the eighth over and reaching his half-century in a mere 19 balls.
