Hetymer aiming to boost ODI credentials

—converting ‘starts’ high on agenda

Guyanese and West Indies opener Shimron Hetmeyer will be  looking for big scores in the upcoming Regional Super50 tournament
Guyanese and West Indies opener Shimron Hetmeyer will be looking for big scores in the upcoming Regional Super50 tournament

For the West Indies, qualifying for the next International Cricket Council (ICC)  World Cup while hoping to horde a talented and committed bunch of players is the main focus moving forward.

One such man, the talented 21–year-old Guyanese Shimron Hetymer, will know that he is one of those players earmarked to take the struggling Caribbean side to new heights.

And while his initial introduction to international cricket has seen bursts of inspiration, he is quite aware that ‘starts’ are not enough to take the side where it needs to be and for him personally to hold a place in the side.

“I’ve been getting a few scores for the West Indies but I’m just trying to convert those starts into big scores,” the left-hander told Stabroek Sport before departing Guyana for the Regional Super 50 Tournament on Sunday.

“I’m working on my game…as I’ve been doing since I came back from New Zealand to benefit from the work I’ve put in,” Hetmyer added.

Hetymer, who will turn out for the Guyana Jaguars in the Regional 50 before heading to Zimbabwe, indicated that he will be adjusting his aggressive instinctive approach and applying match awareness on the request of the Jaguars’ Skipper, Leon Johnson.

“Leon [Johnson] told us before the practice game to play the situation so if a situation arises where I have to play my natural game, I’ll do so but if I have to consolidate for the team, I’ll do that as well.”

It will be intriguing to see how he does during the Regional 50 overs format which will craft a prelude for what’s to come in Zimbabwe.

The upcoming assignments will perhaps be the most important in his young career as the need for him to produce the kind of numbers to match his talent, intensifies.

The young man indicated that he has been getting the support of Windies Coach, Stuart Law, who has been a fan of his ever since his inclusion in the senior setup.

Hetmyer has only added two One-Day International (ODI) to his portfolio to date, with a golden opportunity ahead of him to add a few more.