Hetmyer needs more First-class matches under his belt, says Roger Harper

From being an all-format player, Shimron Hetmyer has moved to becoming a non-format player in this ongoing multi-format series against Sri Lanka as he probably embarks on that hero-to-zero journey which often occurs in sport.
Shimron Hetmyer, the Guyanese cricketing star, failed to meet Cricket West Indies’ (CWI) fitness standards at the time the white-ball squads were selected, and after meeting the minimum fitness standard to be available for Test selection, has still not been selected in the squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka.

CWI Lead Selector Roger Harper, in responding to a question from this daily publication, noted that Hetmyer is required to play more matches and showcase what he can do.
“As far as Test cricket is concerned, he has been absent for a while. He has not played Regional 4-Day cricket for a while, so he needs to really get some matches under his belt and showcase what he can do, especially at a time (when) a number of players are coming off the Bangladesh series, (wherein) a number of players grabbed places for themselves,” Harper noted.
The Guyanese Harper still believes that Hetmyer has the ability to become one of the best batsmen in the world in all formats of the game.
Harper has, however, also indicated that this is certainly not the end of the road for the 24-year-old Hetmyer.
“He is still in the forefront of our minds, and we are waiting for him to display the passion and consistent performance that we are looking forward (to seeing) as well,” Harper said in a virtual media interaction moments after the Test squad was announced.

After 16 Test matches and 30 innings for the West Indies, the Guyanese batting maestro Shimron Hetmyer is yet to score a Test century. Despite his poor showing in the longer formats, Hetmyer has shown skill and ability on different occasions. However, consistency and now fitness have become bothersome issues for him as they are for other Caribbean batting talents.
Hetmyer played his last Test match in November 2019. He opted out of the Test tour to England and Bangladesh because he had concerns in regard to COVID-19. Hetmyer made his international debut in white-ball cricket the last time West Indies toured New Zealand, so he has had experience playing in those conditions. (Brandon Corlette)