Roger Harper concerned about Shimron Hetmyer not being able to maximise his potential

Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief selector Roger Harper has said that Shimron Hetmyer is talented, but his performances haven't been up to the mark.

CWI announced their retainer contracts recently, but Shimron Hetmyer was not a part of that. Former captain Jason Holder was the only player to be awarded an all-format contract.

At a recent online media interaction, Roger Harper said about Shimron Hetmyer:

“I still think Shimron (Hetmyer) is the type of player that has the ability to be a world-class player in every format going forward.”

Harper, though, said the 24-year-old remains a work in progress, and the CWI will continue working with him to help become a better player. The chief selector said in this regard:

“Naturally, when you have that sort of potential, we want to see it reach the kind of level that he is capable of reaching. So, yes, we are concerned. Yes, we will continue to work with Shimron, and yes we will try to give the sort of focus that we think is required for him to maximise his potential.”

Shimron Hetmyer last played a Test match for West Indies in November 2019, while his last ODI outing was in January 2020.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) confirm the international retainer contracts for the West Indies Men’s Team 2021-2022 season.Full Report⬇️https://t.co/IC0FkJxjqV

— Windies Cricket (@windiescricket) May 5, 2021

Fitness issues cost Shimron Hetmyer a contract: Roger Harper

On Shimron Hetmyer being snubbed for a retainer contract, Harper lamented the youngster’s fitness concerns as well as lack of international cricket.

Shimron Hetmyer opted out of West Indies’ tours of England and Bangladesh and missed the Sri Lanka home series due to fitness issues. He was also injured during the T20Is in New Zealand. Within a year, he failed two fitness tests.

Responding to a query from News Room Sport in this regard, Harper said:

“In Hetmyer’s case, he had the opportunity to play the required number of games (and prove himself), but his fitness issues did not allow him.”

The chief selector clarified that the performance of a player in the previous year is a major criterion for awarding contracts, saying:

“We have to appreciate as well that these are performance-based contracts during the evaluation period (April 1, 2020 to April 1, 2021) as well as the selection panel must feel that the players will play a major role or form the nucleus of the various teams going forward. The players who were not awarded contracts, their performances over the period did not meet the necessary criteria, and you had new players who came to the fore and performed well, so they were offered contracts.”

👉🏽 Playing under @RickyPonting👉🏽 Current role in the setup👉🏽 Life in the bio-bubble📹 : Our explosive batsman @SHetmyer takes a series of questions in the post-match presser last night 🗣️#YehHaiNayiDilli #IPL2021 #PBKSvDC https://t.co/Px5jC5UhP4

— Delhi Capitals (Stay Home. Wear Double Masks😷) (@DelhiCapitals) May 3, 2021

Shimron Hetmyer was part of the Delhi Capitals (DC) in IPL 2021 before the T20 league got suspended owing to a spate of COVID-19 cases breaching the bio-bubbles of various teams.