Shimron Hetmyer dropped from West Indies T20 World Cup squad
In a bizarre development, Shimron Hetmyer has been ruled out of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 as he missed a rescheduled flight to Australia. Shamarh Brooks has been called in as his replacement. West Indies will play two T20Is against hosts Australia before kick-starting their T20 World Cup campaign. The series opener will take place on October 5.
A look at the latest developments
Hetmyer was initially supposed to travel to Australia on October 1 His flight was rescheduled to October 3 following his request. However, Hetmyer informed the board that he won't be able to take the flight on time due to family reasons. Hence, the cricket board ruled him out of the tournament. The Caribbeans will miss the services of the power-hitter.
What did the officials say?
Director of Cricket Jimmy Adams revealed Hetmyer was informed that he would be left out of the squad if he fails to take the rescheduled flight. "It was made clear to him (Hetmyer) that if there were any further delays and issues with his travel to Australia then we would have no choice but to replace him," said Adams in an official statement.
Numbers of Hetmyer in 2022
While Hetmyer has been impressive in T20s this year, he blew hot and cold in the recently-concluded CPL 2022. The Guyana Amazon Warriors skipper scored 281 runs in 11 games with his strike rate being below 125. Overall in 2022, the 25-year-old has scored 726 runs from 34 T20s at an average and strike rate of 29.04 and 133.94, respectively.
High expectations from Brooks
Adams has backed Brooks to come good in the mega tournament. "Shamarh has been a part of our recent T20 International squads and delivered strong performances in the latter stages of CPL," asserted Adams. "He will fly out as soon as possible this week to Australia and I wish him and all the squad all the very best for the Tournament," he added.
How has Shamarh Brooks fared recently?
Brooks, who made his T20I debut last year, has played just 11 games so far, scoring 214 runs. He has only scored a solitary half-century, and his strike rate of 107 isn't impressive either. However, he was instrumental in Jamaica Tallawahs' CPL 2022 triumph. Brooks scored 241 runs in eight games at an average and strike rate of 40.16 and 153.5, respectively.
