Shimron Hetmyer thrives at No. 3 as West Indies crush Zimbabwe

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West Indies’s Shimron Hetmyer was known as a finisher until a recent promotion to No. 3 in their T20I series against Afghanistan in January, which has helped him as well as the Caribbean team immensely.

After WI’s 107-run win over Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup Super Eights game at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday, WI captain Shai Hope admitted that the attacking batter was being ‘wasted’ down the order earlier.

Shai Hope

Batting at No. 3, Hetmyer’s 34-ball 85, laced with seven fours and as many sixes, helped WI post a mammoth 254-6. The left-hander was lucky to be dropped on nine and 70, but his intent and power-hitting was enough to disturb Zimbabwe’s bowling attack.

“The way he [Hetmyer] is batting, I think he was kind of wasted down the bottom. He’s such a good player, he can bat in all situations, [versus] spin and pace. To utilise him in that phase [top-order], he comes out and plays freedom. He’s been an asset for us, especially in this tournament,” Hope said at the post-match press conference on Monday.

Hope also lavished praise on his two left-arm spinners Gudakesh Motie (4-28) and Akeal Hosein (3-28), who played a key role in bowling out Zimbabwe for 147 and believes the team’s all-round performance will serve as a morale booster ahead of their next Super Eights games against South Africa and India. “The way we’ve been playing, it certainly gives us a lot of confidence. We’ve got to look ahead now. We’ve got South Africa [on February 26] next, and then India [on March 1],” Hope said.

219
No. of runs scored by Shimron Hetmyer in this T20 World Cup; he’s the second highest run getter in the tournament

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