West Indies Start T20 World Cup 2026 With Dominant 35-Run Win Over Scotland

Two-time champions West Indies opened their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign in style, securing a commanding 35-run victory against Scotland at Eden Gardens on Saturday. A blistering innings from Shimron Hetmyer and a sensational five-wicket haul from Romario Shepherd, which included a hat-trick, powered the Caribbean side to an emphatic win.

Asked to bat first, West Indies began with a solid half-century stand between Brandon King and captain Shai Hope. King top-scored early with 35 off 30 balls, hitting four boundaries and a six, while Hope contributed 19. After the Windies slipped to 58/2, Hetmyer took control of the innings. His explosive 64 became the highlight of the match, stitched together with an 81-run partnership alongside Rovman Powell, who struck 24 off just 14 balls with four fours and two sixes.

Lower down the order, Romario Shepherd (6*) and Matthew Forde (1*) helped push West Indies to a competitive 182/5 in 20 overs. Scotland’s Brad Currie was the standout bowler for his side, finishing with tidy figures of 2/23.

During his knock, King also achieved a personal milestone, surpassing Chris Gayle to become the third-highest run-scorer for West Indies in T20Is. King now has 1,916 runs in 79 matches at an average of 26.61 and a strike rate of 133.89, including 14 fifties.

Chasing 183, Scotland faltered early as Jason Holder removed opener Michael Jones, followed by Romario Shepherd dismissing Brandon McMullen. Shamar Joseph struck next, sending George Munsey back in the final over of the powerplay, leaving Scotland struggling at 38/3.

Richie Berrington and Tom Bruce steadied the chase briefly with a 49-run stand that carried Scotland to 86/3 after 11 overs. However, once Holder removed Berrington for a well-made 42, the innings began to unravel. Motie dismissed Bruce for 35, and Scotland slipped to 122/5 by the 15th over.

Holder also reached a major milestone, becoming the first West Indian to claim 100 T20I wickets. He joined an elite group of players — Lasith Malinga, Tim Southee, Shakib Al Hasan, Shaheen Afridi, and Jasprit Bumrah — to have 100 wickets in all three international formats.

The defining moment of the match came in the 17th over when Romario Shepherd produced a stunning hat-trick, dismissing Matthew Cross (11), Michael Leask (0), and Oliver Davidson (0). He then removed Safyaan Sharif for a duck to complete four wickets in the over and later sealed his five-wicket haul with figures of 5/20.

Scotland’s chase ended at 147 in 18.5 overs, handing the West Indies a comfortable 35-run victory. Jason Holder supported Shepherd superbly, taking 3/30.

Hetmyer was named Player of the Match for his explosive half-century, as the West Indies began their quest for a third T20 World Cup title with a confident and complete performance.