Is Shimron Hetmyer WI's trump card for T20 World Cup?
What's the story
Albeit in a losing cause, West Indies dasher Shimron Hetmyer scored a blistering 75 runs off just 42 balls in the second T20I against South Africa at Centurion's SuperSport Park on Thursday. His efforts at number three helped WI post a massive 221/5 while batting first. However, the hosts chased down the target without much hassle. Nevertheless, Hetmyer could be WI's trump card in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, having discovered some fine form lately.
Knock
A brilliant hand from Hetmyer
WI were jolted early after captain Shai Hope fell (4) in the second over of the aforementioned match. Hetmyer arrived at number three and wasted no time in wresting back momentum with a boundary off his first ball and two more in the next three deliveries. The southpaw's aggressive batting helped West Indies reach 68/1 after six overs. He took on Anrich Nortje with back-to-back sixes in the 10th over and brought up his half-century in just 29 balls.
Details
Second-best T20I score for Hetmyer
Hetmyer continued to attack before falling to Keshav Maharaj in the 15th over. The southpaw's 42-ball 75 is his second-highest score in T20I cricket, after the unbeaten 81 he scored against Sri Lanka in 2021. Hetmyer's innings was laced with eight boundaries and three sixes, coming at an impressive strike rate of 178.57. This was also his first T20I half-century since July last year, when he scored 52 against Australia.
Stats
Three 40-plus scores in his last four outings
Hetmyer now has three 45-plus scores in his last four T20I outings. He had narrowly missed out on half-centuries on two occasions this year, getting dismissed for 46 (17 balls) against Afghanistan earlier this month and then scoring 48 (32 balls) against the Proteas in the opener of the ongoing series. Hetmyer's current form bodes well for his team as they head into the T20 World Cup, which will begin on February 7.
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Here are his T20I stats
Hetmyer now has seven fifties in T20I cricket. The 75 in the recent game took his tally to 1,297 runs from 74 games at 21.98 (SR: 131.54). 121 of his runs have come across five T20 WC matches at 31.75.
DYK
Handy experience on Indian tracks
The upcoming T20 WC will be played in India and Sri Lanka. Hetmyer will back himself to deliver in these conditions, having been a proven performer in the Indian Premier League (IPL). As per ESPNcricinfo, he has played as many as 75 T20 matches on Indian soil, scoring 1,353 runs at an average of 29.41. His strike rate is a brilliant 148.19 (50s: 6). The batter scored a 42-ball 43* in his only T20 outing in Sri Lanka.
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Stellar numbers in 2025
Hetmyer was on a roll in 2025 as well. Across 62 T20 innings, he scored 1,392 runs at an average of 26.26. However, these runs came at a stunning strike rate of 166.10. He crossed the 50-run mark eight times, with his best score being 97*.