Mumbai, Feb 24: West Indies skipper Shai Hope was all praise for the swashbuckling Shimron Hetmyer, stating he was an asset for the team at No 3 after his brilliant innings of 85 against Zimbabwe at the Wankhede Stadium on Monday.
Hetmyer’s 34-ball 85 was the catalyst behind the two-time World Champions’ massive 107-run win over Zimbabwe in their Super Eight match here on Monday, which Hope described as a great "confidence booster" ahead of clashes against South Africa and India.
The left-hander struck seven sixes and as many fours to help the West Indies post 254/6 — the second-highest total in T20 World Cup history.
"The way he is batting, I think sometimes, he was kind of wasted down the bottom in the innings. He's such a good player, he can bat in all situations... (against) spin (and) pace," Hope told reporters after the match.
"To utilise him in that phase, he comes out and plays with that freedom that we wanted him to play with. He's been an asset for us, especially in this tournament. We gave him the role from the South Africa (series and) he has embraced it," he added.
All-round effort boosts confidence
The Windies captain was elated with the all-round efforts of his players against Zimbabwe, with spinners Gudakesh Motie and Akeal Hosein contributing with four and three wickets respectively.
"The way we've been playing, it certainly gives us a lot of confidence," Hope said after the West Indies notched up their fifth consecutive win in the tournament.
"(It was a) great, great start, great confidence booster. But those games are gone. We've got to look ahead now. We've got South Africa next, and then India after that," he said.
Motie’s hard work pays off
Hope was effusive in his praise for Motie, saying he has burnt the midnight oil with his work ethic to reap the results that he is getting now.
"He got a little period before, it was the New Zealand series (that) he went home, worked on some skills. You can see he's back to where he was before," Hope said.
"He even added something to his game as well, that wrist spinner has been very, very crucial for us, especially against the lefties."
Focus shifts to South Africa and India
Hope admitted South Africa will have some advantage in their next game on Thursday, having played most of their matches in Ahmedabad.
"It's certainly a factor, but you've still got to play the (best) cricket on the day. Most of the guys in our team have played in Ahmedabad several times, most of them are in the IPL and (even) against India on some occasions, so it wouldn't be alien to us," he said.
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"But still, when you play at a venue for so many games in a particular tournament in a short span of time, you would have an advantage. That is reality. But I don't think that would deter us from what we're trying to do, we're still going to play the same cricket that we're playing."
After the game against South Africa, the West Indies will play defending champions India in Kolkata on Sunday.
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