Anchorman Hetmyer excited to continue stabilising role

By Brandon Corlette

After the recent South Africa T20 International series, West Indies batting having the biggest meltdown in the middle overs was the big talking point. The West Indies are not short of six-hitting machines but they came into the series against Australia, seeking to find the anchorman.
In the first T20 International against Australia, Shimron Hetmyer played a cautious innings of 20 from 25 balls. That innings suggested that Hetmyer was tasked to hold things together in the middle overs, and he did, to an extent.

Come the second match against the Aussies, Hetmyer perfected his new role. After recording his best T20I innings of 61 from 36 balls, Hetmyer rated this performance highly and he was happy to play the anchor role.
“It was basically playing like how the team wanted me to. From practice and so on, I was told that I need to play the role of being the person that hold the team together,” said Hetmyer, who is looking forward to continuing playing this role.
The hard-hitting left-hander, who allowed his bat to do the talking and silenced his critics, said he learnt that he has more time than he thinks while batting. “I think I waited on the bad balls well and got singles and doubles.”
Speaking to Cricket West Indies media, after his top innings, Hetmyer added: “One of the best [innings], if not the best because I paced it quite well, ran between the wicket with Bravo, and I tried to run as much and not think about hitting boundaries. I looked to hit the ball in the gaps and when the bad ball presents itself, it was something that I am working on and I am glad it worked out so far.”
One of the most talked-about cricketers on the planet, Hetmyer said he loved the Kieron Pollard press conference where the Captain asked the media to “leave Hetmyer alone”.
“I love that interview; for some reason I am always in the media, good or bad I am always there. It was really nice for him to say something like that. He is someone I have vast respect for, someone that is straight up and he helps me in how I go about with my innings,” Hetmyer added.
Hetmyer and the West Indies team will be in action today, Monday, July 12 from 19:30h for the third T20 match against Australia.