By Brandon Corlette
It has already been established that Shimron Hetmyer from Guyana has all the talent in the world; but talent can only take you to a certain level.
Former West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan has said Hetmyer is the most talented player he saw after his former friends in the West Indies team, Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels.
Consistency has been a challenge for Hetmyer since he made his first appearance for the West Indies back in 2017. When asked what Hetmyer needs to consistently excel in, Sarwan responded: “A score runs.”
“He has a wealth of talent. I’ve seen him in Antigua and I’ve said this before: he’s probably the most talented player I’ve seen after Gayle and Marlon Samuels. I think he needs to be consistent and hungry, and that hunger should be all the time. I think over-confidence is something that tends to affect him too, ”Sarwan said on Sean Devers’ recent Sport Watch program.
Hetmyer played 16 Test matches for the West Indies, and after 30 innings, he has yet to register a century, despite scoring fifty-five. His highest Test score is 93 and his batting average is 27.93. In the one-day International (ODI) format, Hetmyer played 45 games and scored 1430 runs at an average of 36.6, including five centuries and four half centuries, hitting 106.8.
In T20 International cricket, Hetmyer has only 379 runs in 23 flyovers, an average of 18.95, with only fifty. The Berbice left-hander, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Boxing Day, is widely considered for the future.
Hetmyer is among the players who opted out of the Bangladesh tour later this month. The left-hander also pulled out of the England tour, which was the first International series held during COVID-19. Hetmyer toured New Zealand, but has only played two T20 games, scoring 00 and 25.
He had suffered a blow and was subjected to concussion protocols, which is one reason for not participating in the Test series. He last played a Test match for the West Indies in November 2019.
Hetmyer is expected to play for the Guyana Jaguars in the upcoming Regional Super50 Cup in Antigua next month.