Romario Shepherd's Hat-Trick Seals West Indies Victory Over Scotland in T20 World Cup Opener
The West Indies launched their T20 World Cup campaign with a hard-fought 35-run victory over Scotland in Kolkata, propelled by a sensational hat-trick and five-wicket haul from Romario Shepherd. Scotland, thrust into the tournament at short notice after Bangladesh's withdrawal, put up a spirited fight but ultimately fell short chasing a target of 183 runs.
Shepherd's Heroics Turn the Tide
With Scotland needing 69 runs from 42 balls and seemingly in contention at 115 for three, Romario Shepherd delivered a match-winning performance. The seam bowling all-rounder claimed a hat-trick by dismissing Matthew Cross, Michael Leask, and Oliver Davidson from consecutive deliveries, before adding Safyaan Sharif to finish with remarkable figures of five for 20. This marked Shepherd's first five-wicket haul in any international format and secured the ninth hat-trick in T20 World Cup history, the first since England's Chris Jordan achieved the feat in 2024.
Scotland's Valiant Effort Despite Chaotic Build-Up
Scotland's participation in the tournament came with just a fortnight's notice after Bangladesh were removed for refusing to play in India. The team had to hastily arrange flights, hotels, visas, and even secure a tournament sponsor in the lead-up. Despite losing both warm-up matches and fielding a young squad, Scotland demonstrated their trademark resilience on the big stage. Captain Richie Berrington led a revival with a brisk 42 off 24 balls, supported by Tom Bruce who made 35, though he benefited from two dropped catches.
West Indies Post Competitive Total
Earlier, the West Indies showed restraint in their innings, reaching 66 for two after 10 overs before accelerating. Shimron Hetmyer provided the fireworks with 64 off 36 balls, including six sixes, while Rovman Powell (24) and Sherfane Rutherford (26) contributed valuable cameos to push the total to 182 for five. Scotland's bowlers initially kept the powerful batting lineup in check, but the late onslaught proved decisive.
Other Opening Day Results
In other Group C matches, Pakistan survived a scare against the Netherlands to win by three wickets in Colombo. The Netherlands were bowled out for 147, with Pakistan requiring a late cameo of 29 off 11 balls from Faheem Ashraf to secure victory. Meanwhile, India impressed with a comfortable 29-run win over the United States. Suryakumar Yadav's unbeaten 84 guided India to 161 for nine, before Mohammed Siraj's three for 29 restricted the USA to 132 in reply, marking a strong start to India's title campaign.
