Captain Shai Hope said Shimron Hetmyer is a key player for the West Indies team in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Hope added that Heitmyer did not make full use of his talents earlier when he was lower in the batting order.
Hetmyer scored 85 runs off just 34 balls to lead West Indies to a 107-run win over Zimbabwe in the Super Eights on Monday. Hope said the win was a huge confidence boost ahead of important matches against South Africa and India.
In his explosive innings, Hetmyer hit seven sixes and seven fours to help West Indies score 254 for 6 – the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history.
“I think sometimes the way he bats, he’s a little wasted at the end of the innings. He’s a great player and he can bat in all situations…(against) spin (and) pace,” Hope told reporters after the match.
“To utilize him at that stage, he came out and played with the freedom that we wanted him to play with. He is an asset to us, especially in this game. We gave him the South Africa (series) role and he has embraced that role,” he added.
Shimron Hetmyer batted mostly in the lower middle order during his career, usually between fifth and seventh, where he was seen as a finisher. But in this match, he proved that he can be just as effective higher up the batting order.
Captain Shea Hope also praised the team’s all-round performance against Zimbabwe. Spinners played a key role as Gudakesh Motie’s 4 for 28 and Akeal Hosein’s 3 for 28 helped seal the emphatic win.
“The way we’ve been playing, it really gives us a lot of confidence,” Hope said after West Indies made it five straight wins in the tournament.
“(It was) a very, very good start and a huge confidence booster. But those games are behind us. We have to move forward now. South Africa is next and then India,” he said.
Hope specifically praised Morty for his hard work outside of the game.
“He’s had some time before and during the New Zealand series he went home and worked on some skills. You could see him getting back to his old form,” Hope said.
“He’s even added something to his game, and wrist spin is really, really important for us, especially against left-handers.”
Hope admitted that South Africa will have some advantage going into their next game on Thursday as they play most of their games in Ahmedabad.
“It’s certainly a factor but you still have to play your (best) cricket on the day. Most of us in the team have played a few games in Ahmedabad and most of them have played in the IPL and even against India on some occasions, so it’s not new to us,” he said.
“But when you play so many games at one venue in a short period of time in a given tournament, you have an advantage. That’s the reality. But I don’t think it’s going to stop what we’re trying to do and we’re still going to play the same cricket that we’re playing.”
After their match against South Africa, West Indies will take on defending champions India in Kolkata on Sunday.
