New Delhi: West Indies produced a dominant batting show to post the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history during their Super Eight clash against Zimbabwe at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday, February 23. West Indies rode on Shimron Hetmyer’s stunning 35-ball 84 and a quickfire 59 from Rovman Powell to post a huge total of 254/6, batting first against Zimbabwe.

Hetmyer led the charge and set the stage for a big total for West Indies with his brilliant 84 after a sluggish start from the Shai Hope-led side. Asked to bat first, West Indies lost their openers, Brandon King and Hope, cheaply inside the Powerplay, but Hetmyer helped them stage a phenomenal fightback with a sensational innings under pressure.

The explosive left-hander, who has been in excellent form in the tournament, made his intentions clear by getting off the mark in style with a boundary. He took the attack to the Zimbabwe bowlers from the onset and raced to his fifty off just 19 balls, recording the fastest fifty by a West Indies batter in a T20 World Cup game.

He broke his own record, having scored a 22-ball fifty against Scotland in the group stage of the ongoing tournament. Hetmyer continued his onslaught after completing his fifty with a six against Sikandar Raza and ended up smashing 84 off 35 balls, which was laced with seven sixes and as many fours. His strike rate of 250 is the best by any batter with a minimum of 30 balls faced in an innings in the T20 World Cup.

Shimron Hetmyer is unstoppable tonight as he smashes the fastest 50 for West Indies in ICC Men’s T20 World Cups. 🔥

ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | SUPER 8 | #ZIMvWI | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/vCrA64jJ8c pic.twitter.com/CGfYch4jjC

— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia)

Rovman Powell joins the party

While Hetmyer stole the show with his power hitting, Powell was not too far behind with his blazing 59 off 35 balls. Powell’s knock was studded with four sixes and as many fours as he combined with Hetmyer to make a mockery of the Zimbabwe bowling attack at the Wankhede.

The duo shared a 122-run stand for the third wicket to set the stage for a huge total for West Indies. After their blitzkrieg, Sherfane Rutherford (31 off 13) and Romario Shepherd (21 off 10 balls) added the finishing touches to take West Indies to 254/6, the highest total in the T20 World Cup 2026 so far and the second-highest in the tournament’s history.

West Indies’ total of 254 runs is only behind Sri Lanka’s 260 against Kenya in the inaugural edition of the T20 World Cup in 2007. West Indies came close but failed to break Sri Lanka’s record against Zimbabwe on Monday.

Highest totals in T20 World Cup:

260/6 – Sri Lanka vs Kenya, Johannesburg, 2007

254/6 – West Indies vs Zimbabwe, Wankhede, 2026*

235/5 – Ireland vs Oman, Colombo SSC, 2026

230/8 – England vs South Africa, Wankhede, 2016

229/4 – South Africa vs England, Wankhede, 2016

West Indies equal record for most sixes in a T20 World Cup match

West Indies also equalled Netherlands’ record for the most sixes by a team in an innings in T20 World Cup, with 19 sixes against Zimbabwe at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday. With seven sixes, Hetmyer smashed the most maximums, followed by Powell (4), Shepherd (3), Rutherford (2) and Jason Holder (2).

Hetmyer also equalled former West Indies batter Nicholas Pooran’s record for most sixes in a single edition of the T20 World Cup. Hetmyer has so far smashed 17 sixes in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026, the joint-most in a single edition alongside Pooran, who smashed 17 sixes in the 2024 edition. Hetmyer is one big hit away from breaking his record.