West Indies’ Shimron Hetmyer celebrates 50 (AP Photo/Bikas Das) Shimron Hetmyer produced a blistering knock to propel West Indies to a competitive 182 for 5 in their second T20 World Cup match against Scotland at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata on Saturday. The left-hander smashed 64 off just 36 deliveries to anchor the innings after a shaky start. Scotland arrived at the tournament in unusual circumstances, having been drafted just two weeks earlier after Bangladesh pulled out of the competition, citing security concerns about traveling to India. Despite a short lead, the Scots showed early discipline after winning the toss and electing to bowl.
T20 World Cup Groups Explained: Who Can Reach Super 8
Their bowlers kept the two-time champions West Indies at bay during the powerplay, applying pressure with tight lines. Brandon King was the first to break free, dropping Safyaan Sharif for a six and two fours in the seventh over to add momentum. King eventually made 35 before Scotland hit back. Off-spinner Michael Leask provided the breakthrough, dismissing captain Shaie Hope for 19. Soon after, debutant left-arm spinner Oliver Davidson claimed his first T20 wicket when King was caught at backward point. Hetmyer then took charge of the innings and launched a fierce counter-attack against the Scottish bowling. He cleared the ropes six times and put together a quick-fire partnership of 81 runs from just 37 balls with Rovman Powell, who contributed 24. Hetmyer raced to his half-century off just 22 balls, hitting a six. It was the fastest fifty ever scored by a West Indies batsman in a T20 World Cup. Although Powell fell in the final overs, his aggressiveness did not decrease. Hetmyer continued to search for the boundary alongside Sherfane Rutherford who hit a quick 26 off 13 balls. Hetmyer’s innings ended when Safyaan Sharif forced a miscue that was brilliantly caught by Brandon McMullen at long-on. Rutherford departed on the first ball of the next over. Left-arm seamer Brad Currie was Scotland’s most economical bowler, finishing with figures of 2 for 23. Hetmyer reflected on his innings and admitted the conditions were testing. “It was good and bad because it was hot. I don’t know about anyone else, but I asked the ref, he said he didn’t feel it that much, but I think I’ll be back playing day and night,” he said. Speaking about his partnership with Powell, Hetmyer emphasized clarity of approach. “It was really clear-minded batting. Every ball pitched, you can take a chance and if you’re not just trying to limit the dot balls, that’s something we talk about as a group and as a batting unit. To limit the dot balls as much as possible. And because we’re a boundary batting team, everybody knows that, but that’s just the single and the little bit that we were dotting in our favor today.” Hetmyer also credited his performance with improved fitness. “I’d like to think so (fitter). I’ve done some work at home. I’ve got a trainer at home, which is my wife, who kind of pushes me to go the extra mile and so far it’s been working out pretty well and I’m happy to be on the park and contribute to the team as much as I can.”
