A breathtaking power hitting turned dramatic for the West Indies as Shimron Hetmyer created history and then fell to one of the best catches of the game during the T20 World Cup 2025 match against Scotland at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on Saturday, February 7.
After being asked to bat first, Brandon King and captain Shai Hope gave West Indies a solid start by adding 54 runs for the opening wicket against Scotland. But then, the two-time T20 World Cup champions suddenly slipped to 58 for 2 in the 10th over, bringing pressure back on the middle order.
Shimron Hetmyer lights up T20 World Cup 2026 with record-breaking blitz at Eden Gardens
That is when Shimron Hetmyer walked in and completely changed the momentum of the match. The aggressive batter launched a fierce counterattack that stunned the Scotland side. He added 81 runs for the third wicket with Rovman Powell, shifting the pressure on the rival side.
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The left-hander was in full attack mode and brought up his half-century in just 22 balls. With his explosive innings, Hetmyer broke a long-standing West Indies record held by Chris Gayle. Hetmyer now has the record of hitting the fastest fifty for the West Indies in the T20 World Cup.
Gayle had taken 23 balls to score a T20 World Cup fifty against Australia back in 2009 at The Oval, while Hetmyer took one ball less than the Universal boss. Just when Hetmyer looked unstoppable, the game took another interesting turn at the Eden Gardens.
Brandon McMullen’s flying catch ends Shimron Hetmyer’s fireworks
Safyaan Sharif bowled a high full toss to Hetmyer, and it came straight to the batter at a good height. The swashbuckling batter tried to hit it very hard and slogged it toward the wide mid-wicket area. Brandon McMullen, who was standing at long-on, ran quickly to his left, covered a lot of ground, and then slid on the grass to reach the ball.
While sliding, McMullen stretched both his hands forward and took a brilliant catch just before the ball could touch the ground. Since the stunning catch was so close, the umpires decided to check it with the third umpire to confirm whether the ball was legal and the ball did not touch the ground.
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McMullen’s efforts get the third umpire signal
The third umpire Jayaraman Madanagopal first checked the height of the delivery. He confirmed that the ball was below Hetmyer’s waist, which means it was a legal delivery. Then it was clear that the ball did not come out of McMullen’s hands even after hitting the ground
As a result, Hetmyer had to walk back to the dugout after scoring 64 runs off 36 balls, laced with 2 fours and 6 sixes, against Scotland in Kolkata.
Catch by McMullen at wide long-on as the dangerous Hetmyer departs, inches from the turf
Checked, cleared, and absolutely sensational! 💥
ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup | #WIvSCO | LIVE NOW 👉 https://t.co/0WePayvggJ pic.twitter.com/9lHwHGUK5f— Star Sports (@StarSportsIndia) February 7, 2026
However, Hetmyer’s knock helped the West Indies to post 182/5 in their 20 overs in the T20 World Cup 2026 group match against Scotland.
Jason Holder scripts history
On the other hand, the former West Indies captain and star all-rounder Jason Holder becomes the first West Indian to take 100 wickets in the T20I cricket after dismissing Richie Berrington at the Eden Gardens. Now, the West Indies needs five wickets to beat Scotland in their tournament opener.
