Hetmyer, Shepherd power Windies to easy win over Scotland
Shimron Hetmyer struck a counter-attacking fifty before Romario Shepherd unleashed a stunning five-wicket burst including a hat-trick as two-time champions West Indies began their T20 World Cup campaign with a comfortable 35-run win over Scotland in their group C fixture here on Saturday.
Back at the venue where they had lifted their second T20 World Cup title a decade ago, West Indies were made to work early before Hetmyer,s 36-ball 64 (6x6, 2x4) lifted them to a competitive 182/5. In reply, Guyanese pacer Shepherd blew away the lower order with a sensational spell of 5/20 to bowl out Scotland for 147 in 18.5 overs.
Shepherd finished the game in dramatic fashion as he ripped through the tail with four wickets in five deliveries — including Matthew Cross, Michael Leask and Oliver Davidson off successive balls — to complete his second T20I hat-trick in four months. He later added Safyaan Sharif to register his maiden five-wicket haul, returning with outstanding figures of 5/20 in three overs. He had also taken a hat-trick against Bangladesh in October.
For West Indies, who had a difficult build up including a shock series loss to Nepal, it was redemption of sorts, having endured a shock loss to Scotland in the 2022-23 edition. Scotland, who learnt about their participation barely two weeks before the tournament after Bangladesh,s withdrawal, showed discipline with the ball but their lack of preparation reflected in the chase. Having trained indoors through winter full of one-foot snow back home, Scotland got their first proper outdoor sessions only
during the warm-ups at Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru in India. Captain Richie Berrington struck a brisk 42 off 24 balls (3x4, 2x6) and Tom Bruce made 35 from 28 balls (1x4, 2x6), but the boundaries dried up West Indies, Romario Shepherd celebrating with teammate Shimron Hetmyer after taking a hat-trick during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 cricket match between West Indies and Scotland at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata West Bengal regularly and the asking rate kept climbing.
