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Daren Sammy can’t believe his eyes; Shimron Hetmyer argues with umpire as dismissal against Bumrah sparks controversy

Shimron Hetmyer was frustrated after being given out caught behind, despite believing he didn't hit the ball. Replays confirmed a spike.

Updated on: Mar 2, 2026, 06:04:51 IST
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Shimron Hetmyer didn’t walk off convinced. He walked off annoyed — the kind of annoyed you only see when a batter is sure the ball missed the bat, and the whole stadium is sure it heard something.

Shimron Hetmyer and Daren Sammy were stunned after the ultraedge showed a spike. (X images)
Shimron Hetmyer and Daren Sammy were stunned after the ultraedge showed a spike. (X images)

And when the broadcast camera cut to Darren Sammy in the West Indies dugout, the head-shake said the quiet part out loud: really, that? In a match already buzzing at Eden Gardens, the wicket became a mini-trial — batter, coach, crowd and then the machine as judge.

UltraEdge settles it, but the theatre stayed

The moment came at 11.3 overs with West Indies at 102 for 2. Jasprit Bumrah angled one across the left-hander on a good length, Hetmyer swiped with his trademark force, and Chris Gaffaney raised the finger for caught behind. Hetmyer instantly signalled the “T”, confident he hadn’t hit it — confident enough to look almost offended by the decision.

It was the kind of dismissal that leaves two truths standing at once: the batter can genuinely not feel it, and the technology can still be right.

That’s what made the wicket bigger than a dot on the scorecard. India didn’t just remove a hitter in full flow — they removed the tournament’s most relentless six-machine at the exact moment he was stretching the game.

Because earlier in the innings, Hetmyer’s assault had already pushed him into the record books. His six-hitting spree in this T20 World Cup has taken him to 19 sixes in the 2026 edition, the most by any batter in a single T20 World Cup. That number moved him past Sahibzada Farhan’s 18 (also in 2026) and beyond Nicholas Pooran’s 17 (2024), with older tallies like Chris Gayle’s 16 (2012) now clearly in the rear-view mirror.

For a few minutes, it felt like the night was becoming Shimron Hetmyer at Eden folklore. Bumrah and UltraEdge made sure it became something else: a reminder that even when the drama is loud, the margin can still be a whisper.

 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Probuddha Bhattacharjee

Probuddha Bhattacharjee is a sports writer and analyst with expertise spanning cricket, football, and multi-sport events, with a strong emphasis on data-driven journalism and tactical storytelling. He currently focuses on international cricket, the Indian Premier League, global tournaments, and emerging trends shaping modern sport, blending advanced statistics with strong narrative context to explain performance, strategy, and decision-making. His work aims to bridge the gap between numbers and storytelling, helping readers understand not just what happened on the field, but the tactical and structural reasons behind it. Trained in data journalism through the Google News Initiative (GNI) Data Journalism Lab, Probuddha works extensively with ball-by-ball datasets, performance metrics, and trend-based modelling to produce evidence-backed reports, explainers, and long-form features. His analytical approach focuses not only on outcomes but also on process—selection strategies, phase-wise tactics, workload management, and the influence of preparation and planning on match results. He is particularly interested in how statistical patterns reshape conventional cricketing narratives and provide clearer tactical insight for modern audiences. Beyond cricket, Probuddha has written analytical and news-driven pieces on football and other major sporting events, with a growing interest in sports governance, scheduling dynamics, and the economics of elite competitions. He also tracks how rule changes, franchise structures, and broadcast pressures influence the evolution of contemporary sport. He has previously contributed to platforms such as OneCricket, Sportskeeda, and CrickTracker, and continues to specialise in analytical storytelling, live coverage, and audience-focused reporting. His work prioritises clarity, context, and credibility, while consistently exploring innovative ways to present data through accessible narratives and structured match analysis.

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