Pollard wants Shimron Hetmyer to carry West Indies cricket forward, says 'He's the guy'

West Indies legend Kieron Pollard has put his faith in young batsman Shimron Hetmyer to take the legacy of Caribbean cricket forward. Pollard, while speaking on Sportsmax, said from a generational point of view Hetmyer is the player he believes can carry the West Indies cricket forward. Pollard said that he would like to see Hetmyer play in all three formats for West Indies, adding "He has the skills to achieve a lot on the cricket field". The Mumbai Indians star further lauded Hetmyer for his performance in the now-postponed edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). 

"We love Hetty. He is a young, talented cricketer. He is a guy who we know, deep in our hearts, can take West Indies cricket forward from a generational point of view with his skill and what he can achieve on a cricket field,” said Kieron Pollard. He knows the truth and he knows what it is. We would love Hetty to be playing all three formats, but as the saying goes, ‘You can only take the horse to the water, but you can’t force him to drink.’ With that being said, I will leave it right there and for the individual to get things together," Pollard said while speaking on Sportsmax. 

Pollard said Hetmyer has a fantastic record in ODI cricket and his T20 performance has also been very good in the recent past, especially in the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League. Pollard, who the captain of West Indies for the upcoming white-ball series against South Africa, Australia, and Pakistan, has backed Hetmyer to be included in the squad. 

Hetmyer's career so far

Hetmyer made his international debut for West Indies in 2017, a year after playing the ICC U-19 World Cup as captain of his side. Hetmyer made his debut against Pakistan and has since then he has played 16 Tests, 45 ODIs, and 27 T20Is for his country. The middle-order batsman averages 27.93 in Test cricket and 36.66 in the ODIs. His T20I average is less than 20 with the bat, but the strike rate is more than 116. In the six matches that he played in IPL 2021, Hetmyer remained not out on five occasions. The Guyanese batsman also scored an unbeaten 53 against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), where he almost took his team across the finish line. 

(Image Credit: AP)