T20 World Cup: Shimron Hetmyer’s quick 85 helps West Indies start Super 8 stage with 107-run win over Zimbabwe

Shimron Hetmyer hit a stunning 85 off 34 balls as West Indies started the T20 World Cup Super 8 phase with an emphatic 107-run victory over Zimbabwe.

Hetmyer hit seven sixes and seven fours as he mixed finesse with power – with a strike rate of 250 – to help the West Indies to a massive target of 254-6.

The left-handed Guyanese was dropped twice by Tashinga Mosekiwa – in the 79th over – before eventually being caught at deep mid-wicket by Brian Bennett off experienced spinner Graeme Creamer.

Rovman Powell then upped the ante after starting the scoring with a patient 35-ball 59 before Shirvan Rutherford, Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder provided further momentum.

West Indies’ total was the second-highest in T20 World Cup history – behind Sri Lanka’s 260-6 against Kenya in 2007 – on what was a discipline day for the Zimbabwe attack, Creamer (9.50) the only player with an economy of less than 10.

No team had ever chased down more than 230 at Wankhede Stadium in T20 Internationals, or in the Indian Premier League, and Zimbabwe soon found themselves in trouble.

Akhil Hossain bowled Bennett, Zimbabwe’s leading run-scorer, beautifully for five balls and three balls later caught Ryan Burl for a duck to leave the Chevron side reeling at 20-3 at the third over.

Fellow left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie ran through Zimbabwe’s middle order on his way to 4-28 – starting the run with a peach of a delivery to dismiss Dion Myers for 28.

With the match long over, Brad Evans added some respectability to the margin of defeat with some defiant late knocks – hitting five sixes in 21 balls and 43 – in a record tenth-wicket stand in the 44th World Cup with Richard Ngarava.

More to follow…