Romario Shepherd's Historic Hat-Trick Lights Up West Indies' T20 World Cup Opener

West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd etched his name in the annals of cricket history as he delivered a spectacular hat-trick during the team's ICC T20 World Cup opener against Scotland. Shepherd's exceptional performance marked the first time a West Indies player achieved a hat-trick in a T20 World Cup, helping defend a total of 183 with a spellbinding 5/20.

Shepherd's dazzling 17th over saw the dismissals of Matthew Cross, Michael Leask, and Oliver Davidson, culminating in a four-wicket haul in a single over with the wicket of Safyaan Sharif. This achievement adds to the celebrated list of West Indies' T20I hat-trick takers, alongside Jason Holder, Shamar Springer, and another Shepherd feat. Moreover, he joins Sri Lanka's Lasith Malinga, Australia's Pat Cummins, and New Zealand's Tim Southee as the only bowlers from Test-playing nations to achieve two T20I hat-tricks.

Despite Scotland winning the toss and electing to bowl, West Indies capitalized on the innings with crucial contributions from Brandon King and Shai Hope, setting a foundation. Rovman Powell's powerful stand with Hetmyer built on this momentum, leading to a target of 182/5. Scotland had a fighting chance with a partnership from Richie Berrington and Tom Bruce but ultimately collapsed to 147/10, thanks to Shepherd's five-for and Jason Holder's supportive three-wicket performance. (ANI)