West Indies Kick Off World Cup with Dominant Win

Romario Shepherd has etched his name alongside bowling greats like Brett Lee, Kagiso Rabada, and Pat Cummins, becoming the latest bowler to claim a T20 World Cup hat-trick.

Shepherd’s heroics powered the West Indies to a 35-run victory over Scotland in their opening fixture.

The Caribbean pacer turned the game on its head in the 17th over. Coming in to bowl with Scotland still showing fight, Shepherd dismissed Matthew Cross, Michael Leask, and Oliver Davidson in consecutive deliveries to complete his hat-trick.

Not satisfied with just three, he claimed another wicket on the final ball of the over to secure a five-wicket haul (fifer), effectively ending the Scottish chase.

A Look at T20 World Cup Hat-trick History
Shepherd joins an elite club of bowlers who have achieved this feat on the world stage:

• 2024: Pat Cummins (twice, vs. Afghanistan & Bangladesh) and Chris Jordan (vs. USA).
• 2022: Karthik Meiyappan (vs. Sri Lanka) and Joshua Little (vs. New Zealand).
• 2021: Curtis Campher (vs. Netherlands), Wanindu Hasaranga (vs. South Africa), and Kagiso Rabada (vs. England).
• 2007: Brett Lee (vs. Bangladesh) recorded the first-ever hat-trick in the tournament's history.

Match Highlights: Hetmyer Breaks Gayle’s Record
Earlier at Eden Gardens, Scotland won the toss and opted to bowl. Despite a slow start from openers Brandon King and Shai Hope, the West Indies middle order exploded.

The Record-Breaker: Shimron Hetmyer smashed the fastest fifty for West Indies in T20 World Cup history, reaching the milestone in just 22 balls. He surpassed the previous record held by Chris Gayle (23 balls in 2009), finishing with a blistering 64 off 36 balls.

The Support: Captain Rovman Powell (24 off 14) and Sherfane Rutherford (26 off 13) provided late-inning cameos, propelling the Windies to a formidable 182/5.

The Chase: Shepherd’s Clinical Finish
Scotland’s chase stuttered early, losing three wickets in the Powerplay. However, a resilient 78-run partnership between Tom Bruce and Richie Berrington kept them in the hunt.

The momentum shifted when Jason Holder dismissed Berrington with the score at 115. From there, the collapse was swift. Scotland lost their final six wickets for just 32 runs. Shepherd’s 17th-over masterclass—finishing with figures of 5 for 20 in 3 overs—left Scotland bundled out for 147. Jason Holder provided clinical support, chipping in with 3 wickets.

Final Score:

• West Indies: 182/5 (20 overs)
• Scotland: 147 All Out (18.5 overs)
• Result: West Indies won by 35 runs.