Guyanese Shimron Hetmyer is currently with the West Indies team in Trinidad and Tobago as the team prepares to play India in the first ODI on Friday, July 22. Despite Hetmyer being present with the squad, he was not selected for the West Indies ODI team to play India. Captain Nicholas Pooran confirmed that Hetmyer is working on his fitness with the squad.
“I (would) love (to see) him (play) in this ODI series now. But he is here doing a lot of work on his fitness as well, and he has been putting in a lot of work. That is really nice to see the effort that he has been putting in. He wants to play for the West Indies and trainers and coaches working with him, so expect to see him sooner than later. I have full confidence that he will be putting on the maroon colors again,” Pooran said on Thursday afternoon, during a media briefing.
Pooran added: “yes he has a fitness test to pass shortly, so he is preparing himself for that.”
Before this series, Hetmyer had missed the ODI series against Bangladesh due to a shoulder injury, as cited by Cricket West Indies (CWI). In the past, Hetmyer has been under the microscope as it relates to meeting CWI minimum fitness standards. The 25-year-old Hetmyer last played for West Indies in November 2021.