Shimron Hetmyer continued his fine build-up to the T20 World Cup 2026 with a scintillating 75 off 42 balls for the West Indies in the second SA vs WI T20 2026 series against South Africa in Centurion on Thursday.
Promoted up the order, the 29-year-old Hetmyer slammed his seventh T20I fifty in 74 appearances and his first-ever batting in the No. 3 position.
He was following up a fluent 48 off 32 in the series opener while batting at a more customary No. 6 slot.
This was also Hetmyer’s second-highest score in T20I cricket after the unbeaten 81 he scored against Sri Lanka in 2021.
West Indies were jolted early after captain Shai Hope fell in the second over. However, Hetmyer, who represents Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League, wasted no time in wresting back momentum.
Hetmyer struck a boundary off the first ball he faced and followed it up with two more in the next three deliveries. Making full use of the fielding restrictions, West Indies raced to 68/1 after six overs largely thanks to Hetmyer’s onslaught.
Batting alongside Brandon King, Hetmyer kept the pressure on South Africa through the middle overs. He took on Anrich Nortje with back-to-back sixes in the 10th over and brought up his half-century in 29 balls as West Indies cruised to 115/1 at the halfway mark.
The century stand was broken in the 12th over when King departed for 49. With South Africa tightening the screws, Hetmyer attempted to lift the tempo further but was dismissed in the 15th over by Keshav Maharaj.
Hetmyer’s knock was laced with eight fours and three sixes and came at a strike rate of 178.57. It was also his first T20I half-century since July last year, when he scored 52 against Australia.
He had come close twice this year, having been dismissed for 46 against Afghanistan earlier this month before his 48 against the Proteas earlier this week.
The three-match series against South Africa marks West Indies’ final assignment before the T20 World Cup 2026, set to begin on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, and Hetmyer’s form augurs well heading into the global showpiece.
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