Mumbai, Feb 23 (PTI) Shimron Hetmyer went on a rampage, smashing a 34-ball 85 before Rovman Powell’s 59 propelled West Indies to a mammoth 254/6, the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history, in their Super Eights clash against Zimbabwe here on Monday.
Aided by a couple of lifelines, West Indies’ No. 3 Hetmyer peeled off a second fifty of the tournament by pummelling seven sixes and as many fours while recording the fastest half-century off only 19 balls, bettering his own record set earlier (off 22 balls ) in the tournament.
In all, the West Indies struck 19 sixes, making the most of the flat deck as they finished close to the highest-ever tournament total of 260/6 by Sri Lanka against Ireland in the inaugural edition in 2007.
Like many of his peers, Zimbabwe’s Tashinga Musekiwa was playing his first-ever game at the iconic Wankhede Stadium but the 26-year-old would remember the game differently: for having dropped Hetmyer twice, on nine and 70.
Brandon King (9), having hit a six off Richard Ngarava (2/47), struck it straight to Musekiwa at deep backward square in the third over.
However, in the fourth, Musekiwa failed to control the ball which popped out of his hands at deep backward square, giving a lifeline to Hetmyer off Blessing Muzarabani (2/42) and that was where it all changed.
Hetmyer had begun with a flick over midwicket for a four off the first ball and looked in good rhythm until he pulled one straight to deep backward square where Musekiwa had failed to hold on.
Hetmyer, who had reached the non-striker’s by then, sneered at himself while making gestures with his hands.
Ngarava was then hit for two consecutive fours and Graeme Cremer was hammered for two towering sixes in the seventh over, as Hetmyer set himself up for a big score.
Batting without a lid or a cap as he usually does, Hetmyer unleashed a flurry of sixes against the Zimbabweans, who appeared clueless.
Skipper Sikandar Raza, who later copped a hard blow off a direct hit from Powell, took it upon himself to try and put things back in control, but Hetmyer swatted him thrice on the on-side for sixes to collect 20 runs off the eighth over.
West Indies plundered as many as 124 runs between overs 2-12, with Hetmyer getting strong support from Powell. The two West Indies batters put on 122 off 52 balls for the third wicket.
Even as Hetmyer was taking the Zimbabwe bowlers to cleaners, Powell did not for once appear to be playing second fiddle. That the West Indies batters ran excellently between wickets was a given, but Powell too rarely missed an opportunity to score big when the opportunity arrived.
His 35-ball 59 included four hits to the fence and as many over it.
Towards the end, Sherfane Rutherford (31 not out), Romario Shepherd (21) and Jason Holder (13) took the West Indies past 250. PTI DDV DDV AH AH
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