Sammy: Hetmyer’s innings shows why he's ‘so hard’ to exclude
West Indies 269 for 8 (Hetmyer 69*, Rutherford 61, Lennox 3-35) beat New Zealand 268 for 9 (Latham 69, Kelly 64, Joseph 2-38) by 2 wickets
Shimron Hetmyer’s unbeaten 69 helped the West Indies secure a tense 2-wicket victory over New Zealand in the 5th and final One-Day International in Kensington, Barbados, on Tuesday.
The West Indies needed to recover following a deflating defeat in the 4th ODI. While that result secured the series for New Zealand, points were still on offer for the Caribbean side.
Hetmyer shared in a crucial 95-run partnership with Sherfane Rutherford. The Guyanese pair came together in the 26th over when the hosts had lost their main contributors, captain Shai Hope (39 from 52) and Keacy Carty (20 from 54), in the span of 14 balls, slipping from 118 for two to 123 for four.
The 90-ball fifth-wicket stand between Hetmyer and Rutherford not only laid the platform for what could be two crucial points for Daren Sammy’s men, but it also triggered a series of what-if scenarios in the mind of Caribbean fans. More so for Hetmyer.
The last time the left-hander crossed three figures in ODIs was against India at the Chidambaram Stadium in 2019. His 139 then was his 5th century in the format, and at the age of 22, it made him the youngest West Indian to score five ODI hundreds.
Now, with a first fifty-plus score in 16 innings, it would be no different if the 29-year-old wore a tag labeled ‘unfulfilled potential,' and the West Indies coach understands.
“When you see someone like Hettie (Shimron Hetmyer) play like that and you see Sherfane play like that, you tend to ask yourself, ‘Why is it not more consistent?’” Sammy said.
“For me, it's always a constant battle. When are they going to be consistent? When do we stop giving opportunities?”
Sammy has made it a point to reintegrate Hetmyer into the 50-over set-up, and he initially joined the squad as an injury replacement for Justin Greaves. He was dropped after scoring 26 in the 3rd ODI before returning to the XI due to an injury to Amir Jangoo.
Despite losing the wicket of Rutherford (61 from 58), the West Indies were in control of the chase, needing 50 runs from 58 deliveries with five wickets remaining. It was the loss of Gudakesh Motie, Matthew Forde, and Alzarri Joseph for seven runs that dragged New Zealand back into the contest.
Hetmyer then executed in a manner he hasn’t done much for the West Indies in recent years. Despite being employed as a finisher for franchises around the world, even match-winning knocks in Maroon won’t end with him in the middle, ensuring the team gets over the line.
He managed to tick that box on Tuesday. In between shielding No. 10 Jayden Seales, Hetmyer smashed two maximums in their 21-run ninth-wicket stand before Seales hit the winning boundary, which saw the series finish with a 3-2 scoreline.
“But you look at the talent that's there,” Sammy continued. “It is so hard [for Hetmyer and Rutherford] to not be part of the cricket. I was quite pleased. Sherfane, throughout the series, struggled a little bit. But he has been batting well in the nets.
“And Hetty, the way he played with such maturity. I'm pretty sure not only I, but the entire region and the West Indies fans… innings like that, you want to see more consistently. We know the Shai Hopes do that, but to see how Hettie played today was really pleasing.”