Romario Shepherd etched his name into T20 World Cup folklore on Saturday, becoming the first West Indian to claim a hat-trick in the history of the tournament and joining an elite list.
The all-rounder produced a sensational burst in West Indies' ICC T20 World Cup 2026 opener against Scotland, returning figures of 5/20 in just three overs as the Caribbean side successfully defended a total of 182. Bowling the 17th over of the chase, Shepherd dismissed Matthew Cross, Michael Leask and Oliver Davidson off successive deliveries to complete a stunning hat-trick, then struck again later in the same over to remove Safyaan Sharif, making it four wickets in six balls.
Romario Shepherd joins Elite List
With this effort, Shepherd became the first West Indian to grab a T20 World Cup hat-trick
and the fourth bowler from a Test-playing nation to register two hat-tricks in T20 internationals. He now sits alongside Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga, Australia's Pat Cummins and New Zealand seamer Tim Southee on that elite list. This hat-trick follows his earlier T20I treble against Bangladesh in Chattogram in 2025.
Shepherd's five-wicket haul placed him in another bracket. He is now just the second West Indian to take a five-for in a men's T20 World Cup, joining left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein, who recorded remarkable figures of 5/11 against Uganda in the 2024 edition.
Shepherd, who is part of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru setup in the IPL 2026, will be aiming to continue his rich vein of form in the upcoming matches as West Indies look to put a strong effort in the group stages.
