Rampaging West Indies Crush Zimbabwe by 107 Runs at Wankhede

At the iconic Wankhede Stadium, West Indies unleashed a breathtaking display of power-hitting to hammer Zimbabwe by 107 runs in the 2026 T20 World Cup, sending a stern warning to the rest of the competition.

Powered by explosive half-centuries from Shimron Hetmyer and Rovman Powell, West Indies piled up a staggering 254 for 6 — the second-highest total in men’s T20 World Cup history. Their 19 sixes set a new benchmark for the most sixes struck in a single innings in the tournament.

Zimbabwe, who had topped Group B en route to the Super Eight stage, were bundled out for 147 in reply, suffering their first defeat of the tournament.

Hetmyer’s Spin-Hitting Masterclass

Batting at No. 3 in a relatively new role, Hetmyer set the tone early. After West Indies lost two quick wickets in the powerplay — Brandon King falling to the returning Richard Ngarava and Shai Hope dismissed off Craig Evans — Hetmyer launched a brutal counterattack.

He raced to a 19-ball half-century, breaking his own record for the fastest fifty by a West Indies batter at a men’s T20 World Cup. Identified by head coach Daren Sammy as the man to replicate Nicholas Pooran’s role in the middle order, Hetmyer delivered emphatically.

The left-hander was ruthless against spin, smashing Graeme Cremer and Sikandar Raza for 56 runs off just 17 deliveries. All seven of his sixes came against spin as he finished with one of the highest strike rates recorded in a 50-plus score against spinners in men’s T20Is.

Zimbabwe’s fielding woes compounded their misery. Tashinga Musekiwa dropped Hetmyer twice — on 9 and 70 — allowing him to extend the carnage before eventually falling in the deep.

Powell and the Middle Order Join the Party

While Hetmyer blazed away, Powell initially struggled before shifting gears spectacularly. After crawling to 15 off 17 balls, he launched a series of towering sixes, including a monstrous 106-metre strike off part-timer Dion Myers. Powell brought up his fifty in 29 balls and continued to dominate before departing for 59.

The assault did not end there. Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd and Jason Holder added electric cameos, propelling West Indies past the 250-run mark — a total reminiscent of their dominant T20 triumphs in 2012 and 2016.

Spinners Seal the Deal

Zimbabwe’s chase unraveled almost immediately. They slumped to three wickets inside the first three overs, never recovering from the early blows.

Left-arm spinner Gudakesh Motie triggered the collapse with career-best T20I figures of 4 for 28. Raza, battling a finger injury sustained in the field, briefly threatened with 27 off 20 balls before Motie bowled him with a delivery that pitched on middle and spun sharply to hit off stump.

Akeal Hosein produced another highlight, dismissing Brian Bennett with a classic drifting delivery that turned away to disturb the stumps.

Though Evans fought valiantly with a 21-ball 43, Zimbabwe were reduced to 103 for 9 by the 15th over. The end came in the 18th over when Forde induced a top-edge from Evans to complete West Indies’ second-biggest win by runs in T20 internationals.

With this commanding performance, West Indies have emphatically reasserted themselves as serious title contenders, blending nostalgic power-hitting flair with clinical bowling execution on the big stage.