Match overview
West Indies Cricket beat Zimbabwe Cricket by 107 runs at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on 23 February 2026. Batting first after Zimbabwe won the toss and chose to field, West Indies posted 254/6 across their 20 overs. Zimbabwe's reply never threatened the target. They lost 3 wickets inside the powerplay, collapsed further in the middle overs, and were dismissed for 147. Shimron Hetmyer took the Player of the Match award. The result extends West Indies' head-to-head lead over Zimbabwe to 27 wins from 38 T20I meetings.
The innings was built in the middle phase. West Indies scored 55 runs for 2 wickets in the powerplay, which was measured rather than explosive, then accelerated sharply in overs 7 to 16, adding 124 runs for just 1 wicket. The death overs brought a further 75 for 3, taking the total past 250. Zimbabwe's approach to the chase fell apart in precisely the same phase. Forty-seven runs came from the first six overs, but 6 further wickets fell in the middle overs for 62 runs, leaving the tail too much to do.
Venue and conditions
Wankhede Stadium has hosted 196 matches, and its numbers tell a story that favours batters and sides with the nerve to bat first. The average first-innings score sits at 186 runs; the average second innings at 171. West Indies' 254/6 was 68 runs above that first-innings benchmark, which helps explain why the chase never looked realistic. Powerplays at Wankhede average 45 runs, meaning Zimbabwe's 47 in the first six overs was close to par, but the collapse that followed was not.
The toss winner has elected to field in 71 per cent of matches at this ground, reflecting a general belief that chasing is the preferred option in Mumbai's evening conditions, where dew can make the ball harder to grip in the later stages of a defence. The chase-success rate of 55 per cent across the ground's history supports that instinct. This match was an outlier: a score of 255 proved beyond Zimbabwe's batting unit regardless of any surface advantage in the second innings.
Death overs at Wankhede average 43 runs per innings, and West Indies' 75 in that phase was well above the norm. It pushed the total from competitive into effectively unassailable.
How to watch
West Indies and Zimbabwe T20I fixtures are typically broadcast in the UK on Sky Sports Cricket, with live streaming available through Sky Go and NOW TV for subscribers. Fans without a full Sky subscription can access NOW TV on a day pass. Check Sky Sports' schedule for confirmed broadcast times; international T20Is involving West Indies often fall outside peak UK viewing hours given the time difference between the UK and the Indian subcontinent, where this match was played.
Recent form
West Indies arrived in Mumbai in strong form. Their five most recent results in 2026 were all wins, against Italy, Nepal Cricket, England Cricket, Scotland Cricket, and South Africa Cricket. That run suggests a settled squad with momentum across the format.
Zimbabwe's 2026 record also looked promising before this match: three wins to open the year, against Sri Lanka Cricket, Australia Cricket, and Oman Cricket. Their two most recent losses came in 2025, against Sri Lanka and Pakistan, so they had some grounds for optimism. The scale of this defeat, however, reflects a gap in batting depth and middle-order resilience that has historically separated these two sides. West Indies now lead Zimbabwe 27 wins to 7 across 38 T20I meetings, and this fixture did nothing to narrow that margin. The two sides' schedules will determine when the next meeting occurs, but on current evidence the burden of proof sits firmly with Zimbabwe.
