Mumbai, Feb 23 (IANS) A decision not to overthink about his batting, that he used to do in the past, and a move to the No.3 spot in the batting order seem to have worked wonders for West Indies batter Shimron Hetmyer as unleashed a massive blitzkrieg, raining boundaries in a 34-ball 85 in helping West Indies thrash Zimbabwe by 107 runs in a Super 8s clash in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on Monday.
Hetmyer blasted seven fours and seven sixes as he hammered a 19-ball fifty, the fastest by a West Indies batter in the T20 World Cup and helped them post a massive 254/6 in 20 overs, the highest team total in this World Cup and the second highest-ever in the history of the tournament.
Hetmyer said what has worked for him was stopping analysing his batting too much, which he used to do earlier. He said he has decided to let his bat do the talking.
“Not overthinking my batting. Been overthinking in the past. Now I am trying to think less, and the bat will now do the talking, and I react to what’s in front of me,” said Hetmyer, who was adjudged the Player of the Match for his sensational knock.
Hetmyer, who enjoyed two lives, the first before he had even scored 10 runs and then again at 30, with Tashinga Musekiwa putting down the catches on both occasions. Hetmyer rode his luck and did not look back as he just went after the bowling, hitting the two spinners, Graeme Cremer and Sikandar Raza, six massive sixes in total, scoring 33 runs in nine balls against the Zimbabwe skipper.
Hetmyer said the innings mean a lot for him because he did not score a lot of runs in the last game.
“Means a lot. More so, because I didn’t get a lot in the last game. I just want replicate the things I have been doing in the last two months,” said Hetmyer.
The 29-year-old from Guyana said the move to the No.3 spot in the batting order from the middle order makes things a lot easier for him.
“Feels good. It is a lot easier now as I have been doing it often. Having the backing from everyone makes it a more comfortable headspace,” he said.
Hetmyer refused to read a lot into him becoming the leading six-hitter in the event, along with his former teammate Nicholas Pooran at 17 big ones.
“I am not thinking too much about it. Feels good to accomplish something like that. We as a team haven’t accomplished anything, as this is just one game. I have my family back home who have been supporting me, and that helps me do better,” he added.
The win helped West Indies join South Africa on one win in the Super 8 stage, and they lead the table with a better NRR than West Indies, thanks mainly to Hetmyer, who laid the foundation for the big win.
–IANS
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