West Indies captain Shai Hope said that "it was a joy to watch" the team's batting effort after the Men in Maroon registered a massive 107-run victory over Zimbabwe in both teams' first Super 8 match of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Shimron Hetmyer (85 runs off 34 balls) and Rovman Powell (59 runs off 35 balls) with the bat and Gudakesh Motie (4/28 in 4 overs) with the ball shone for the two-time champions.
The West Indies posted a colossal 254/6 in 20 overs, second only to Sri Lanka's 260/6 against Kenya in the 2007 T20 World Cup. This is also the second time a team has crossed the 250-run mark in the T20 World Cup history.
Hetmyer was eventually dismissed in the 15th over after a blistering 34-ball 85, an innings studded with seven sixes and seven fours. With his seven maximums in the match, Hetmyer equalled the record for the joint-most sixes in a single T20 World Cup edition, tying with Nicholas Pooran's rec
After being put in to bat by Italian captain Harry Manenti, West Indies found the going tough on a surface that offered assistance to the spinners. Opener Brandon King fell early for just 4, and Shimron Hetmyer (1) followed shortly after, leaving the Windies stuttering in the powerplay.
West Indies, who have been unbeaten so far in their campaign, will be aiming to make it four wins in four matches when they take on Italy in their final group stage match at Kolkata's Eden Gardens, who have impressed one and all with their fighting spirit in this competition.
With the emphatic nine-wicket victory, West Indies became the first team to qualify for the Super Eights, while Nepal were officially eliminated from the tournament.
West Indies captain Shai Hope underlined the importance of starting strongly in major tournaments, saying there is no room for mistakes in World Cups, following his side's convincing win by 35 runs in their T20 World Cup opener against Scotland at the Eden Gardens on Saturday.
Shimron Hetmyer's blistering 64, followed by a fantastic bowling performance from Romario Shepherd, who picked up a hat-trick and five-wicket haul, helped the Windies to defend their 183-run target.
During their campaign opener against WI, the Windies showcased a glimpse of their ferocious hitting, and Hetmyer was at the centre of it, with a brilliant 64 in 36 balls, with two fours and six towering sixes, striking at over 177.