West Indies amassed 254 for 6, the second-highest total at a men’s T20 World Cup, with 19 sixes, led by Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell’s explosive fifties. In the competition’s history, no team has hit more sixes in a single innings.

At the Wankhede Stadium, West Indies unleashed an unrestrained barrage of big hits, defeating Zimbabwe by 107 runs and sending a message to other 2026 T20 World Cup championship aspirants.

After winning Group B in the run-up to the Super Eight, Zimbabwe lost for the first time in this event after being all out for just 147.

Prior to the rest of the middle order, including former captain Powell, joining the six-hitting party, Hetmyer began the carnage with a half-century off 19 balls. Like the batters from the West Indies in 2012 and 2016, Hetmyer, Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd, and Jason Holder continued to toss the ball into the night sky and made it appear absurdly simple.

Richard Ngarava, a left-arm fast, made his comeback after missing Zimbabwe’s group-stage matches against Australia and Sri Lanka due to injury. He had Brandon King holing out to long leg for 9 off 12 balls with a slower ball that was traveling at 101 kph. Shai Hope was then brilliantly caught by Brian Bennett in the outfield for 14 off 12 balls after Craig Evans dug an offcutter into the pitch in the last over of the powerplay.

Hetmyer’s master instruction in spin-hitting

Hetmyer was responsible for 20 of the 55 runs that West Indies scored in their first six overs, despite losing two wickets. After sitting on the bench during the previous T20 World Cup, Hetmyer was simply starting at number three, which was a new (ish) position for him.

Hetmyer excelled on Monday after coach Daren Sammy saw him as a hitter capable of filling Nicholas Pooran’s position. He was especially harsh on spin, hitting all seven of his sixes against spin and hitting Sikandar Raza and Graeme Cremer for 56 off 17 balls. When ball-by-ball data is available, Hetmyer’s strike rate of 329.41 ranks second among hitters who have scored 50 or more runs against spinners in a men’s Twenty20 International.

In the process, Hetmyer broke his own record for the fastest fifty in the West Indies at a men’s T20 World Cup, charging to a half-century off 19 balls. Hetmyer had hit a fifty off of 22 balls against Scotland in Kolkata earlier in this event.

Zimbabwe’s fielding errors also helped Hetmyer. Hetmyer was dropped by Tashinga Musekiwa on 9 and 70. After the second reprieve, Hetmyer added 15 to his total before Bennett finally managed to hang onto a chance in the deep.

However, it was a smooth transition from one West Indies hitter to another. Powell imperiously blasted Evans over midwicket to teed off, having at one point reached 15 off 17 balls. A 106-meter bomb over extra-cover off part-time seamer Dion Myers in the 13th over was one of three more sixes he hammered. He continued till he reached a fifty off 29 balls.

Powell hammered one back in the following over with such force that the ball exploded through Raza’s hands, requiring the physio to tend to him. In the latter moments of the first innings, Test captain Ngarava had to replace Raza, who even had to spend some time off the field.

West Indies reached 250 thanks to brilliant cameos from Rutherford, Shepherd, and Holder, even though Powell left for 59 and Musekiwa got lucky for the third time and held onto a catch.

To stay in the game, Zimbabwe has to get out to a good start. That was not to be, though, as they were three down after three overs. Then, Gudakesh Motie’s career-best T20I stats of 4 for 28 caused Zimbabwe to crumble.

Raza (27 off 20 balls) came out to bat after hurting his finger in the first innings, but he only batted for a short while before Motie hit him with a magnificent delivery that pitched on middle and tore away to smash off.

Another candidate for ball of the day was Akeal Hosein, who dismissed Bennett with a stock ball that meandered in towards middle and leg before turning away to smash off.

Evans’ 21-ball 43 postponed Zimbabwe’s collapse to 103 for 9 in the 15th over, which looked like the end was near. In the 18th over, Forde had Evans top-edge a catch to short third to seal the victory, which was the second-largest in the West Indies in terms of runs.