“After Gayle and Samuels, Hetmyer is the most talented batsman I’ve seen” – Sarwan

January 9, 2021
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By Brandon Corlette

It has already been established that Guyana’s Shimron Hetmyer has all the talent in the world, but talent can take you only to a certain level. Former West Indies captain Ramnaresh Sarwan has said Hetmyer is the most talented player he has seen after Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels, his former West Indies teammates.

Consistency has been a challenge for Hetmyer since he made his debut for the West Indies back in 2017. When asked what is needed for Hetmyer to consistently excel, Sarwan responded: “Score runs.”

“He has an abundance of talent. I have seen him in Antigua and I have said this before: he is probably the most talented player I have seen after Gayle and Marlon Samuels. I just think he needs to be consistent and hungry, and that hunger should be all the time. I think overconfidence is something that tends to affect him as well,” Sarwan said on the recent Sean Devers Sports Watch programme.

CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA – FEBRUARY 24: Chris Gayle of the West Indies celebrates after scoring a century with team mate Marlon Samuels during the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup match between the West Indies and Zimbabwe at Manuka Oval on February 24, 2015 in Canberra, Australia. (Photo by Mark Nolan-IDI/IDI via Getty Images)

Hetmyer played 16 Test matches for the West Indies, and after 30 innings, he is yet to register a century, although he has scored five fifties. His highest Test score is 93 and his batting average is 27.93. In the One Day International (ODI) format, Hetmyer played 45 matches and scored 1430 runs at an average of 36.6, including five centuries and four half-centuries, striking at 106.8.

In T20 International cricket, Hetmyer has only 379 runs in 23 innings, at an average of 18.95, with a lone fifty. The left-hander from Berbice, who celebrated his 24th birthday on Boxing Day, is widely considered one for the future.

Hetmyer is among the players who opted out of the Bangladesh tour later this month. The left-hander had also pulled out of the England tour, which was the first International series hosted during COVID-19. Hetmyer toured New Zealand but has played in only played two T20 matches, scoring 00 and 25.

He had suffered a blow and was undergoing concussion protocols, hence one reason for his non-involvement 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.