NEWS
Follow UsIn a surprising turn of events last May, Shimron Hetmyer was not picked in West Indies' ODI World Cup Qualifier squad as the management decided to give longer runs to players who had performed well in the lead-up to the series. It was particularly surprising because Hetmyer, who missed the last T20 World Cup in a diabolical situation, had made himself available for the event.
However, for the ODI series against India, Cricket Windies recalled Hetmyer, whose last ODI was in July 2021 against Australia in Barbados, and that has certainly bolstered their strength.
“Anytime Shimron’s around we know there’s going to be a lot more depth in the batting department. He can transform any batting lineup and take the attack to the bowlers and can be a real impact player for us; it’s great to see him back,” Shai Hope said in the pre-match press conference.
Windies are going to play an ODI for the first time since failing to make it to the 50-Over World Cup in India later this year. But skipper Shai Hope feels that the team want to push for victory no matter what and they have identified certain areas where they want to progress - which would start from the upcoming series.
“It’s an opportunity for us to bounce back. It’s a different format and another opportunity for us to showcase our skills and show the world what we can do. We know the Zimbabwe stint is in the past. There are certain things we need to address and now is a good start to do so,” Hope said.
“Anytime we cross that line the aim is to win we know that we can’t always win but everything we do is geared towards that victory at the end of the day. Our plans we have in place, as long as we execute them, I’m sure that we’re going to get some victory.
The Kensington Oval in Bridgetown will host the first two matches in the three-match ODI Series on Thursday and Saturday before both teams move to Trinidad for the third and final ODI at the Brian Lara Cricket Academy on August 1.
