West Indies kicked off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign with a commanding 32-run victory over Scotland in Kolkata’s iconic Eden Gardens. The star of the show was Romario Shepherd, whose blistering 17th over—featuring a hat-trick and four wickets—derailed Scotland’s chase and propelled his team to glory.
Set 183 to win, Scotland cruised to 132 for 5 in 16 overs, eyeing a typical T20 finish. Enter Shepherd: his second ball trapped Matthew Cross, the third bowled Michael Leask, and the fourth castled Oliver Davidson for a hat-trick. He capped the over by dismissing Safyaan Sharif, leaving Scotland reeling at 132 for 9. They limped to 147 all out, 32 runs short.
Shepherd’s 5 for 20 in three overs marked him as the first West Indies bowler to snag a T20 World Cup hat-trick, joining an elite club of nine.
Recapping the rarities: Brett Lee pioneered it in 2007 (Australia vs Bangladesh). 2021 saw Curtis Campher (Ireland vs Netherlands), Wanindu Hasaranga (SL vs SA), and Kagiso Rabada (SA vs England). 2022 brought Karthik Meiyappan (UAE vs SL) and Josh Little (Ireland vs NZ). Pat Cummins doubled up in 2024 against Bangladesh and Afghanistan, with Chris Jordan’s effort versus USA making it eight before Shepherd’s ninth.
This masterclass underscores West Indies’ depth and Shepherd’s growing stature, setting a high bar for their Group C campaign.