In a bad patch: Shimron Hetmyer battling inconsistencies

By Brandon Corlette

Labelled “the most exciting young batsman in World Cricket today”, the out-of-form Shimron Hetmyer has had the poorest of starts to his Indian Premiere League career. The gifted athlete has thus far played four matches for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and has returned single digit scores of 0, 5, 9 and 1.
His poor run of form does not diminish his gifts as a batman, and despite scoring 15 runs in four matches in the IPL, averaging 3.75, Hetmyer remains one for the future.

The hard-hitting left-handed 22-year-old batsman, who hails from Cumberland in East Canje Berbice, was run out in his debut match in the IPL because of poor judgment on his behalf.
Batting at number five in his second match, played against Mumbai Indians, he was dismissed by Jasprit Bumrah, out caught playing an ugly shot that skied the ball to Hardik Pandya at mid-off, who accepted the catch.
After his two batting failures in the middle order, Hetmyer was given an opportunity at the top of the order. The result was the same, as he failed to reach 10. He was dismissed for nine, out stumped running past a Mohammad Nabi delivery.
In Hetmyer’s fourth match, the latest played since April 2, 2019, he was shifted to number four in the RCB batting order, but failed four a fourth time when he played a Shreyas Gopal googly and was out caught behind for one by Rajasthan Royal’s Jos Butler.
RCB, meantime, has continued to lose matches despite the venerable Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers being in their batting line-up.
Hetmyer is feeling the heat as he continues his poor form, which has seen soft dismissals throughout the IPL. The ICC Cricket World Cup is looming, and Hetmyer, who should be in the 15-member squad to England, will have to battle his inconsistencies. He may have to make necessary adjustments in the technical aspect of his batting, since the conditions in the United Kingdom will be different.
Hetmyer has a solid One Day International (ODI) record; playing 25 matches and scoring 899 run at an average of 40.86, with a high score of 127. The left-hander has to his name four centuries and two half-centuries in 24 innings of batting in ODI cricket. In his last five International innings, however, he had strings of low scores against England.
The great Sir Garfield Sobers has hailed Hetmyer as a future ‘great’, but Hetmyer is yet to announce himself as a consistent batsman. Playing the IPL is a dream come true for Hetmyer, but playing in the World Cup would be equally important.
At this moment, Hetmyer has to work his way into a wounded RCB starting XI, and must sign off the IPL with some runs.