Shimron Hetmyer An Asset At No. 3, Was Being Wasted Down The Order: Shai Hope
Hetmyer's 34-ball 85 was instrumental in the Caribbean side's massive 107-run win over Zimbabwe in a Super Eight match on Monday, which Hope described as a great "confidence booster" ahead of clashes against South Africa and India
By : PTI
Update: 2026-02-24 07:07 GMT
Mumbai: Shimron Hetmyer has been an "asset" for the West Indies at No.3 in the ongoing T20 World Cup, said skipper Shai Hope as he regretted the big-hitter getting "wasted" down the batting order previously.
Hetmyer's 34-ball 85 was instrumental in the Caribbean side's massive 107-run win over Zimbabwe in a Super Eight match here on Monday, which Hope described as a great "confidence booster" ahead of clashes against South Africa and India.
Hetmyer struck seven sixes and as many fours to help the West Indies post 254/6 -- the second highest total in T20 World Cup history.
"The way he is batting, I think sometimes, he was kind of wasted down the bottom in the innings. He's such a good player, he can bat in all situations... (against) spin (and) pace," Hope told reporters after the match.
"To utilise him in that phase, he comes out and plays with that freedom that we wanted him to play with. He's been an asset for us, especially in this tournament. We gave him the role from South Africa (series and) he has embraced it," he added.
Hetmyer has been a lower order floater for a major part of his career taking a position anywhere between numbers 5 to 7 for his proven credentials of being a finisher. But he has shown himself to be equally effective higher up the order in the ongoing tournament.
Hope lauded the West Indies' all-round show against Zimbabwe, in which spinners Gudakesh Motie (4/28) and Akeal Hosein (3/28) also had a big role to play.
"The way we've been playing, it certainly gives us a lot of confidence," Hope said after the West Indies notched up their fifth consecutive win in the tournament.
"(It was a) great, great start, great confidence booster. But those games are gone. We've got to look ahead now. We've got South Africa next, and then India after that," he said.
Hope singled out Motie for praise, saying he put in the hard yards away from the game.
"He got a little period before, it was the New Zealand series (that) he went home, worked on some skills. You can see he's back to where he was before," Hope said.
"He even added something to his game as well, that wrist spinner has been very, very crucial for us, especially against the lefties."
Hope admitted South Africa will have some advantage in their next game on Thursday, having played most of their matches in Ahmedabad.
"It's certainly a factor, but you've still got to play the (best) cricket on the day. Most of the guys in our team have played in Ahmedabad several times, most of them are in the IPL and (even) against India on some occasions, so it wouldn't be alien to us," he said.
"But still, when you play at a venue for so many games in a particular tournament in a short span of time, you would have an advantage. That is reality. But I don't think that would deter us from what we're trying to do, we're still going to play the same cricket that we're playing."
After the game against South Africa, the West Indies will play defending champions India in Kolkata on Sunday.
Akeal Hosein said the ball grips more in Kolkata than Ahmedabad but warned against the shorter boundaries at the Eden Gardens.
"I felt so far that (in) Kolkata, the ball grips a little bit more, it's not a venue where you can just toss the ball up. It's all about trying to make that adjustment and that assessment as quickly as possible," he said.