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‘Team balance & performance in last series factors for Hetymer’s non-selection’ says Harper
By Sean Devers
Kaieteur News – Chairman of the West Indies selectors for West Indies, off-spinning All-Rounder Roger Harper, spoke to Kaieteur Sports yesterday afternoon on the eve of the opening T20 game in the five-match series involving West Indies and South Africa scheduled to commence at 14:00 hrs today.
Jimmy Adams
The 58-old Harper, who took 45 wickets in 25 Tests and 100 wickets in 105 ODIs, said that Shimron Hetymer’s non-selection for the first two matches in Grenada was about the balance of the team.
Guyanese Harper had been criticised by many in Guyana, including the GCB of which he is a part of, for not picking the 24-year-old Berbician in the 30-man Test squad which was destroyed by the South Africans in the Two-Test series in St Lucia.
“Hetymer not being selected for the first two T20Is was based on the balance of the Team and his performance in his last T20I series did not help him,” said Harper who made 10 centuries in 200 First-Class matches and three fifties in his Test career.
“Hetymer is available for the entire series (against South Africa, Australia and Pakistan) and I can confirm that he is here having returned from the PSL” added Harper.
Shimron Hetymer
The pugnacious Young Warriors left-hander returned to the Caribbean from Abu Dhabi and playing two games in the continuation of the Pakistan Super League when he scored seven in his only innings; missing the final which his team Multan Sultans won.
Hetymer has played 27 T20 Internationals and batted 23 times and scored 379 runs at an average of 18.5 with one half-century since making his debut against hosts New Zealand on December 31, 2017.
However, in his last T20 International series against New Zealand in November last year the tremendously talented Guyanese made a duck and 25 in his two innings.
Since then he has played in the IPL for Delhi Capitols and in the continuation of the PSL which climaxed last Thursday.
The West Indies batting for today’s game could come from the vastly experienced Chris Gayle, Kiron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russell, Lendl Simmons and Jason Holder as the selectors looked to start with their most tried and tested batsmen included with Andre Flectcher performing the Wicket-Keeper’s role.
Roger Harper
However, Nicholas Pooran, Even Lewis and Fabian Allen, all have been selected leaving no place for Hetymer.
The bowling could be centred around Fidel Edwards, Obed McCoy, Holder and Guyanese off-spinner Kevin Sinclair.
When contacted for a comment, 53-year-old Jimmy Adams, Director of Cricket of CWI, said the Selectors would be in a better position to comment on Hetymer’s exclusion.
“But I would say that the guys are gonna engage in 15 games in a short space of time between now and the end of the Pakistan tour in Guyana. So I’d be surprised if all of the batters didn’t get opportunities,” posited the former Jamaica and West Indies Captain who played 54 Tests and 127 ODIs.
Two time T20 World Cup title holders and defending Champions West Indies are using these T20 games as preparations for the next T20 World Cup which is likely to start on October 17 in UAE, with the final on November 14, 2021.
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