T20 World Cup 2026: West Indies beat Zimbabwe by 107 runs

Mumbai (Web Desk): West Indies cricket team produced a dominant all-round display to overpower Zimbabwe national cricket team by 107 runs in their Super Eight fixture of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 at Wankhede Stadium on Monday.

An explosive knock from Shimron Hetmyer laid the platform before Gudakesh Motie ripped through Zimbabwe’s batting order, sealing an emphatic opening win for the Caribbean side in the second phase of the tournament.

Chasing a mammoth 255 for victory, Zimbabwe never found momentum against a sharp and disciplined bowling unit. Despite a late counterattack from all-rounder Brad Evans, they were bundled out for 147 in 17.4 overs, registering their first defeat of the competition.

Evans fought back with a brisk 43 off 21 balls to finish as his team’s highest scorer. Diaon Myers made 28, captain Sikandar Raza struck 27, and Tony Munyonga added 14, but none could anchor a meaningful recovery under sustained pressure.

Motie was the standout performer with the ball, returning figures of 4 for 28 from his four overs. Akeal Hosein provided crucial support with three wickets, while Matthew Forde chipped in with two to keep Zimbabwe on the back foot throughout the chase.

Earlier, Raza’s call to field first backfired as the two-time champions piled up an imposing 254 for 6 in their allotted 20 overs.

West Indies had a shaky start, losing opener Brandon King for nine in the third over with just 17 runs on the board. Hetmyer then steadied the innings in a 37-run stand with skipper Shai Hope for the second wicket. Hope scored a quick 14 off 12 balls before falling to Evans on the final delivery of the powerplay.

Nicholas Pooran arrived at number four and, alongside Hetmyer, shifted the contest decisively. The pair hammered 122 runs for the third wicket in only 51 deliveries, dismantling the Zimbabwe attack. Graeme Cremer eventually provided a breakthrough in the 15th over, removing Hetmyer after his blistering 85 off 34 balls, an innings featuring seven boundaries and seven sixes.

Pooran departed nine balls later for a well-made 59 from 35 deliveries, which included four fours and four sixes, after top-edging a short ball from Blessing Muzarabani to Tashinga Musekiwa at deep backward square leg.

Romario Shepherd and Sherfane Rutherford ensured the innings finished with sustained aggression, adding quickfire contributions of 21 and an unbeaten 31, respectively, to lift the total beyond 250.

For Zimbabwe, Richard Ngarava and Muzarabani claimed two wickets each, while Cremer and Evans took one apiece, but their efforts were overshadowed by a commanding West Indian performance.