Shimron Hetmyer rewrote the history books by recording the fastest fifty by a West Indies player in T20 World Cup history during their opening Group C match of the 2026 edition against Scotland on Saturday.
The hard-hitting left-hander struck 64 off 36 balls at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, for the first fifty of T20 World Cup 2026, and was the top scorer for his team. His knock, scored at a strike rate of 177.77, included two fours and six maximums. He was named Player of the Match.
Chris Gayle, who had scored a fifty off 23 balls against Australia in the 2009 edition, held the record for the fastest fifty by a West Indies in the T20 World Cup previously.
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Shimron Hetmyer, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, entered the crease after a tentative start by the West Indies that saw them on 54/1 after 8.2 overs.
Hetmyer completely changed the complexion of the West Indies innings as he went on the attack soon after walking out.
"It's fun (batting at No. 3)," Hetmyer said after the match. "It's something that I used to do in the beginning. Playing more T20, finishing also is fun for me. But if I have to choose, I'll stay up top.
"It's just about mindset, really. Batting at No. 3, the bat comes on a little bit faster. It's just to get into position as early as possible and execute."
After taking his time to settle in, Hetmyer announced his arrival to the crease by smashing Scotland's Oliver Davidson for a six.
He continued his six-hitting spree by depositing Michael Leask, Mark Watt and Safyaan Sharif over the boundary ropes in the next few overs.
Shimron Hetmyer also hit a maximum to reach his fifty off just 22 balls - the fastest half-century by a West Indian in T20 World Cup history.
The 29-year-old southpaw struck another boundary after his fifty before eventually being dismissed by Brandon McMullen in the penultimate over of the West Indies innings.
Despite a watchful start by the openers, Hetmyer’s knock propelled West Indies to a solid total of 182/5.
Later in the day, Hetmyer completed a spectacular one-handed catch. He sprinted across from fine leg, launched himself to his right and clung on to a superb one-handed catch to send back George Munsey off Shamar Joseph's bowling.
Hetmyer recently finished as the top-scorer with 171 runs in the recently concluded three-match series against South Africa.
The West Indies will face England in their second group match at the T20 World Cup 2026 on Wednesday.
