After watching the knock played by the RCB star, the franchise will be motivated to have retained him.
Both South Africa and the West Indies came into the fixture after being undefeated in the T20 World Cup 2026 – a feature that was going to change in a matter of 40 overs time. The only question was – who will draw first blood? And when the Proteas took charge, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) all-rounder Romario Shepherd stood up to the occasion for the West Indies.
The 31-year-old star walked out to bat at No.9, after the score was a mere 83/7. All the Windies needed, was for someone to stitch a partnership with Jason Holder, who was already out in the middle. And that is exactly what the RCB star did.
Romario Shepherd scored an unbeaten 52 from 37 deliveries with three fours and four sixes, helping the Windies scale a total of 176/8. To add to that, he stitched an 89-run stand alongside his former skipper, which in itself is a T20 World Cup record for the highest 8th wicket partnership.
The West Indies started off on a positive note, but soon lost a lot of wickets in a heap – which stalled their momentum in the innings. However, the Shai Hope-led side bat till nine, which came to the rescue exactly when they needed it the most. With his fifty, Shepherd registered his maiden half-century in T20I cricket, and it could not have come at a better time.
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As far as the RCB all-rounder is concerned, T20s happen to be his best format. And he has proven his ability in the shortest format of the game with some impactful performances. To add to that, Shepherd also plays a handy role with the ball in hand, which is a great asset to any side.
That being said, the West Indies will have to sort out their bowling woes if they are to get themselves anywhere near the title. Though their batting is extremely impactful and deep, the bowling appears to be a really big concern, which might come back to bite them.
In 70 innings so far in the shortest format, the RCB all-rounder has picked 81 wickets. However, he has conceded runs at an economy of almost 10 an over, which is slightly on the expensive side of things. With the bat in hand, Shepherd is closing in on 900 T20I runs, and strikes at an impressive 145.50.
Shimron Hetmyer has been one of West Indies’ best players in this tournament, and they will want him to continue with his form. That being said, the management will need the likes of Shai Hope and Brandon King to step up and rise to the occasion – which will give a real chance to the West Indies.
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