MUMBAI: West Indies captain Shai Hope said Shimron Hetmyer has proved to be an “asset” at No. 3 in the ongoing T20 World Cup, adding that the explosive batter had been “wasted” when used lower down the order earlier in his career.
Hetmyer’s blistering 85 off 34 balls powered the West Indies to a massive 107 run win over Zimbabwe in a Super Eight match on Monday, a result Hope described as a major confidence booster ahead of crucial clashes against South Africa and India.
The left-hander smashed seven sixes and seven fours as the Caribbean side posted 254 for six, the second highest total in T20 World Cup history.
“The way he is batting, I think sometimes he was kind of wasted down the bottom in the innings. He’s such a good player, he can bat in all situations, against spin and pace,” Hope told reporters after the match.
“To utilise him in that phase, he comes out and plays with that freedom that we wanted him to play with. He’s been an asset for us, especially in this tournament. We gave him the role from the South Africa series and he has embraced it,” he added.
Hetmyer has spent a major part of his career as a lower order floater, batting anywhere between No. 5 and No. 7 for his finishing abilities, but he has shown he can be equally effective higher up the order in the ongoing tournament.
Hope also praised the West Indies’ all round performance against Zimbabwe, with spinners Gudakesh Motie (4/28) and Akeal Hosein (3/28) playing key roles with the ball.
“The way we’ve been playing, it certainly gives us a lot of confidence,” Hope said after the West Indies registered their fifth consecutive win of the tournament.
“It was a great start, a great confidence booster. But those games are gone. We’ve got to look ahead now. We’ve got South Africa next, and then India after that,” he said.
Singling out Motie for special praise, Hope said the left arm spinner had put in significant work away from the game.
“He got a little period before, it was the New Zealand series, he went home and worked on some skills. You can see he’s back to where he was before,” Hope said.
“He even added something to his game as well, that wrist spinner has been very, very crucial for us, especially against the lefties,” he added.
Hope admitted South Africa would have an advantage in the next match on Thursday, having played most of their games in Ahmedabad.
“It’s certainly a factor, but you’ve still got to play the best cricket on the day. Most of the guys in our team have played in Ahmedabad several times. Most of them are in the IPL and even against India on some occasions, so it wouldn’t be alien to us,” he said.
“But still, when you play at a venue for so many games in a particular tournament in a short span of time, you would have an advantage. That is reality. But I don’t think that would deter us from what we’re trying to do. We’re still going to play the same cricket that we’re playing,” he added.
After the match against South Africa, the West Indies will face defending champions India in Kolkata on Sunday.
Akeal Hosein said the ball tends to grip more in Kolkata than in Ahmedabad, while cautioning about the shorter boundaries at the Eden Gardens.
“I felt so far that in Kolkata, the ball grips a little bit more. It’s not a venue where you can just toss the ball up. It’s all about trying to make that adjustment and that assessment as quickly as possible,” he said.