Hope hails Motie’s growth, Hetmyer’s freedom after dominant win

The West Indies cricket team delivered a commanding performance to overpower the Zimbabwe national cricket team by 107 runs on Monday at the Wankhede Stadium, securing two valuable points in Group One and strengthening their push in the tournament.
It was a day dominated by a Guyanese duo, as Shimron Hetmyer and Gudakesh Motie produced match-winning performances with bat and ball, respectively.
Promoted to a more prominent role in the batting order, Hetmyer unleashed a breathtaking innings of 85 from just 34 deliveries. His knock, laced with seven fours and seven towering sixes, electrified the Mumbai crowd and powered the West Indies to a formidable total.

Captain Shai Hope praised the left-hander’s impact and adaptability.
“He’s a quality player, and the way he’s batting, I think sometimes he’s kind of wasted down the bottom in the innings,” Hope said post-match. “He’s such a good player; he can bat in all situations – spin, pace. To utilise him in that phase, he comes out and plays with that freedom that we want him to play with.”
Hope revealed that the team had entrusted Hetmyer with the role during the South Africa series, and the aggressive batsman has embraced the responsibility.
“He’s been an asset for us, especially in this tournament. He started with a bang, and he’s continued with that great form. I’m happy to see him scoring runs and everyone supporting him along the way and giving the team a big score for the bowlers to defend.”
While Hetmyer dazzled with the bat, Motie delivered a clinical spell to dismantle Zimbabwe’s batting line-up. The left-arm spinner returned impressive figures of 4 for 28, mixing accuracy with subtle variations, including a newly developed wrist-spin option that proved particularly effective against left-handed batters.

Hope highlighted Motie’s growth following a brief period away from international cricket.
“Motie, he got a little period before – I was thinking it was the New Zealand series – and he went home and worked on some skills. You can see he’s back to where he was before, and he even added something to his game as well, that wrist spinner,” Hope explained.
“That’s been very crucial for us, especially against the lefties. Sometimes your time away from the game gives you a nice chance to refresh and regroup… He’s in a great space.”
With the victory, the West Indies cricket team improved to a perfect five wins from five matches at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup, underlining their status as one of the tournament’s form sides. They will now turn their attention to a highly anticipated clash against fellow unbeaten contenders, the South Africa national cricket team, on Thursday at 05:30h in what promises to be a decisive Group One showdown.