West Indies Head Coach Phil Simmons indicated the management has not looked into the possibility as yet of Shimron Hetmyer being used as a Test opener on the tour to New Zealand.
Kraigg Brathwaite and John Campbell are the only two outright openers in the 15-man Test squad for the two Tests.
Campbell is under pressure after a lean patch in England and there are some ideas that Hetmyer can be used a temporary opener on the tour.
Left-hander Campbell batted six times on the tour to England and produced a high score of 32, a large chunk of the 84 runs he made at an average of 16.80.
In 18 Test innings, Campbell has just one half-century (55), which came on the tour of Afghanistan in 2019.
Uncapped reserves Shayne Mosely and Joshua DaSilva are other opener under considerations, but they can only be drafted into the squad if there is an injury, which makes Hetmyer, who by upbringing an opener, a possible option.
“That has not really been looked at, but as you say it always a possibility but the thing about it ‘Hetty’ gets here from IPL so then we can see what is happening and we can see everyone; as for now, it is not something we have looked into,” Simmons stated in a response to a question from News Room Sport on the Virtual presser held Friday.
While his numbers overwhelmingly suggest in the Test format he is better suited at six, Hetmyer’s average of 30.50 in New Zealand, where he made his maiden Test-half-century, could make him being a viable option in the opening position, at least for the second Test.
Harper, on multiple occasions, has explained that Hetmyer is a middle-order option for this tour.
“Shimron gives the squad more options in the middle-order and it is another opportunity for him to show how good a player he is,” Chief Selector Roger Harper stated in a Cricket West Indies press release.
Hetmyer has returned to the Test squad for the upcoming tour to New Zealand, but based on current form and impact, Jermaine Blackwood should keep a hold on Hetmyer’s number six position, at least for the first Test.
In his comeback to the Test squad, Blackwood scored the most runs (211) for the regional side on the tour to England, had the best average (35.16) and highest score in the form of a match-winning 95 in the first Test.
