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Holder's 100 T20I Wickets & Shepherd's Hat-Trick Fire West Indies to Victory

Jason Holder made history by becoming the first West Indian bowler to claim 100 wickets in T20 Internationals during the team's T20 World Cup opener against Scotland. Romario Shepherd stole the show with a devastating spell of 5/20, which included a hat-trick and four wickets in a single over, propelling him to third on West Indies' all-time T20I wicket-takers list. Defending a total of 182/5, built on contributions from Brandon King and Shimron Hetmyer, the West Indies bowlers dismantled Scotland's chase despite resistance from captain Richie Berrington. The comprehensive victory was set up by this record-breaking bowling performance from Holder and Shepherd.

Key Points: Holder Hits 100 T20I Wickets, Shepherd Takes Hat-Trick in T20 WC

  • Jason Holder first WI bowler to 100 T20I wickets
  • Romario Shepherd takes 5/20 including a hat-trick
  • Shepherd becomes WI's 3rd-highest T20I wicket-taker
  • West Indies defend 182 to win T20 WC opener
3 min read

Holder's century of T20I scalps; Shepherd's historic hat-trick: WI bowlers shatter records in T20 WC opener at Kolkata

Jason Holder becomes first West Indian to 100 T20I wickets as Romario Shepherd takes a historic hat-trick and 5-wicket haul vs Scotland in T20 World Cup.

"Shepherd... completed the hat-trick and concluded the over with another wicket... making it four wickets in an over. - Match Report"

Kolkata, February 7

Veteran West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder became the first bowler from his team to reach the landmark of 100 T20I wickets on Saturday.

Holder achieved this feat during his side's ICC T20 World Cup opening clash against Scotland. During the match, he took 3/30 in 3.5 overs.

Now in 90 T20Is, Holder has taken 101 wickets at an average of 27.17, and an economy rate of 8.79, with four four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul a highlight of his catalogue, with best figures of 5/27. At number two and three are: Akael Hosein (86 wickets in 91 matches at an average of 26.66, with best figures of 5/11) and Romario Shepherd (80 wickets in 75 matches at an average of 27.00, with a four-fer and fifer to his name). Shepherd, who took a fifer and hat-trick in this match, also overtook legend Dwayne Bravo (78 wickets in 91 matches at an average of 26.10, with three four-fers) to become WI's third-highest wicket-taker.

Now coming to Shepherd, while defending 183 for his side, Romario generated figures of 5/20 in his three overs. During his 17th over, he got wickets of Matthew Cross, Michael Leask, and Oliver Davidson to complete the hat-trick and concluded the over with another wicket of Safyaan Sharif, making it four wickets in an over.

He has taken West Indies' fourth T20I hat-trick, with Jason Holder (against England, Bridgetown 2022), Shepherd (against Bangladesh, Chattogram, 2025), and Shamar Springer (against Afghanistan in Dubai this year) being the other three ones.

He is also the second West Indies cricketer to take a five-wicket haul in the T20 WC, with Akael Hosein (5/11) being the first to do so against Uganda in the 2024 edition of the tournament.

Shepherd is also the fourth bowler in the history of T20Is (amongst Test-playing teams) to have two hat-tricks in the format, alongside Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga, Australia's Pat Cummins and New Zealand's Tim Southee.

Scotland won the toss and opted to bowl first.

A half-century stand from Brandon King (35 in 30 balls, with four boundaries and a six) and skipper Shai Hope (19) started off things for WI. After WI slid to 58/2, Hetmyer along with Rovman Powell (24 in 14 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) struck a fine 81-run stand for the third wicket. Romario Shepherd (6*) and Matthew Forde (1*) were unbeaten when WI reached 182/5 in 20 overs.

Brad Currie (2/23) was the top bowler for Scotland.

In the run-chase, Scotland was reduced to 37/3 in 5.4 overs. Skipper Richie Berrington (42 in 24 balls, with three fours and two sixes) and Tom Bruce (35 in 28 balls, with a four and two sixes) put on a 78-run stand for the fourth wicket. From 115/3, Scotland collapsed to 147/10 in 18.5 overs. Shepherd (5/20) and veteran Jason Holder (3/35 in 3.5 overs) were the top bowlers for WI.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Fantastic bowling, but honestly, the batting still looks a bit shaky. 182 is good, but against Scotland? They lost wickets in clusters early on. Need more consistency from the top order if they want to win the cup.
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Rohit P
Shepherd joining Malinga and Cummins with two T20I hat-tricks! That's elite company. The West Indies always produce these explosive match-winners. Makes the tournament more exciting for us fans. Can't wait for India's match now!
S
Sarah B
Watching from the US, but have family in Kolkata who were at the Eden Gardens! The atmosphere must have been electric for that hat-trick. Holder is such a calm leader, great to see him hit a personal milestone in a winning cause.
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Aman W
The depth in their bowling is scary. Holder, Hosein, and now Shepherd firing. They have so many options. As an Indian fan, I'm slightly worried if we face them in the knockouts! Their power-hitting plus this bowling is a complete package.
K
Kriti O
Happy for Holder, a true gentleman of the game. But the real story is Romario Shepherd! A fifer AND a hat-trick? Historic stuff. West Indies cricket is on the up, for sure. 🏆

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