Kamal Ghorui
Shimron Hetmyer produced a blistering knock to propel West Indies to a competitive 182 for 5 in their second T20 World Cup match against Scotland at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, on Saturday. The left-hander smashed 64 off just 36 deliveries, anchoring the innings after a shaky start. Scotland arrived at the tournament amid unusual circumstances, having been drafted in only two weeks earlier after Bangladesh pulled out of the competition, citing security concerns over travelling to India. Despite the short notice, the Scots showed early discipline after winning the toss and opting to bowl.
Their bowlers kept two-time champions West Indies in check during the Powerplay, applying pressure with tight lines. Brandon King was the first to break free, launching Safyaan Sharif for a six and two fours in the seventh over to inject momentum. King eventually made 35 before Scotland struck back. Off-spinner Michael Leask provided the breakthrough, dismissing captain Shai Hope for 19. Soon after, debutant left-arm spinner Oliver Davidson claimed his maiden T20 wicket when King was caught at backward point. Hetmyer then took charge of the innings, launching a fierce counterattack against the Scottish bowling. He cleared the ropes six times and stitched together a rapid 81-run partnership off just 37 balls with Rovman Powell, who contributed 24. Hetmyer raced to his half-century in only 22 balls, bringing it up with a six. It was the fastest fifty ever scored by a West Indies batter in a T20 World Cup. Although Powell fell during the closing overs, the aggression did not drop. Hetmyer continued to find the boundary alongside Sherfane Rutherford, who struck a quick 26 from 13 balls. Hetmyer’s innings ended when Safyaan Sharif forced a miscued hit that was brilliantly caught by Brandon McMullen at long-on. Rutherford departed on the first ball of the following over. Left-arm seamer Brad Currie was Scotland’s most economical bowler, finishing with figures of 2 for 23. Reflecting on his innings, Hetmyer admitted the conditions were testing. “It was good and bad, because of how hot it was. I don’t know about anybody else, but I asked the umpire, he said he didn’t feel it as much, but I guess getting back to playing in a day-night,” he said. Speaking about his partnership with Powell, Hetmyer highlighted the clarity in approach. “It was just batting with a clear mind really. Every ball pitched up, you could take a chance and if not just try to limit dot balls, that’s something that we speak about as a group and as a batting unit as well. To limit the dot balls as much as possible. And because we are a boundary hitting team, everyone knows that, but it’s just the singles and the dot balls where we kind of fall short just a little bit and it’s nice that it came off in our favour today.” Hetmyer also credited improved fitness for his performance. “I would like to think so (fitter). At home I did some work. I have my trainer which is my wife at home that kind of pushes me to go the extra mile and so far, it’s been working out quite well and I’m just happy to be on the park and contributing to the team as much as I can.”
