Talented Guyana Jaguars opening batsmen Shimron Hetmyer will play his maiden West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) Regional Super50 as a senior cricketer after playing for the West Indies Under-19 team during the 2015 edition of the tournament.
In his List A debut against Trinidad and Tobago he made an even half-century which surely was one of the signs that placed him in good stead in becoming the West Indies under-19 captain for the 2016 World Cup, where he led the team to historic championship glory.
Considering his success as a youth cricketer, the dashing left-handed batsman plans to use the Super50 as a benchmark to test how much he has developed as a professional cricketer, with the illustrious aim of gaining a spot in the senior West Indies team.
Classical! Hetmyer in the nets at the National Stadium (Marceano Narine Photo)
Speaking to Guyana Times Sport, the 20 year-old stated, “this is a very important tournament for me, it can tell me how fast I have developed and where I am on getting into the West Indies senior team; it’s my main goal now to get into the team, hopefully in the one-day format as early as possible but first I have to make it count in this tournament”.
The Berbician, who played for the West Indies A team on the tour to Sri Lanka last year, had a commendable first half of the four-day season, where he scored three half-centuries in an attacking fashion but failed to add to his lone First-class century.
Heading into a format where he certainly has a fondness for, the player said that he is extremely confident of doing well considering the glimpses of destructive batting he showcased in the four-day matches.
Hetmyer posited that he will be trying to convert those 50s into big hundreds, stating, “After the break in the four-day season, I spent some time thinking of ways I can convert those 50s into big hundred and it is really just about me staying focus at the crease”.
Jaguars Head Coach Esuan Crandon had posited that the team’s top order needs to be more consistent if the team can book a place in the February 18 final.
Quizzed as this will be any added pressure, the Guyana Amazon Warriors player responded saying, “I will go about doing what I know best and that is just playing my natural attacking game, the coaches told me to do what I do best and if I get the team off to a good start then so be it”.
With the last title in this format of the game coming in 2005 for Guyana, Hetmyer says that the team is focused and ready to perform to break the jinx.
“I think, the guys are focused, I can’t comment on the previous years but the guys are really focused with planning and all aspects of the game but I’m not pressured to perform, I will go do what I know best for the team”, the opening batsman said.
The tournament which begins on January 24 in Barbados and Antigua, will see Guyana being based in Barbados for their preliminary matches and if the pitches in the Island of the flying fish remains proves history correct, it will be the conditions the young batsman thrives under and will only auger well for himself and the Jaguars.
