“It was on me”: Hetmyer on fitness failures

By Brandon Corlette

Shimron Hetmyer is one of the most-talked-about cricketers on the planet. Hetmyer has been in and out of the West Indies teams, and has also lost his international retainer contract. One reason for that loss is that he twice failed the fitness test within the season.
The left-handed batsman has said: “All of that was basically on me. During the pandemic, I did not really do much in terms of training, because there was not much available. Being in the pandemic, you were really scared of catching COVID-19 because there was no vaccine, so I really tried to stay home.
“Me being at home did not really give me the chance to do as much as I should have. Just after, there was a fitness test and I did not pass the test because…I was not doing as much as I should have. I was dropped, and then I went back and said this should not happen again. I worked and worked as hard as possible, and the following week I passed the test.
“The same thing came up again (fitness), but this time was because I got hit on my head in New Zealand,” Hetmyer said on the Caribbean Cricket Podcast.
The Berbician has said he was told by the physiotherapists not to do physicals because of the impact of the hit he had sustained.
“I had the fitness test just before the Super50. During the Super50, I passed the fitness test, but the team was already picked. All things considered, (to regain) the fitness, I have worked extremely hard, because I know of the importance.”
Hetmyer has said that currently he is trying to do more with the help of his wife, who pushes him to do more in his fitness game.
Asked if he can open the batting in Test cricket, Hetmyer has said he would be up for the challenge if given the opportunity, since he did that during his youth days. However, his preferred batting position is # 3.
“When I got into the Test team and I batted at three, I developed a likeness (for that position). It is much easier for me; even if it’s one ball, you can see what the bowler (is doing),” Hetmyer noted.
He disclosed that he still enjoys opening the batting to an extent, even when he did in the One-Day International against Australia.
“Red ball cricket is something I still enjoy playing. For me, to play red-ball is really a mindset, because at the moment I have been playing a lot of T20 cricket and it is something I developed that likeness for. With Test cricket, I have to develop that likeness and start thinking back about it. It’s a mindset for me,” Hetmyer has said.
The aggressive batsman has said he always feels good about his game, even though he is not always making runs. “Right now, I think my game is at a good place, but there is room for improvement,” he added.