Hetmyer hails perfect start as Amazon Warriors dominate Kingsmen

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC):

Shimron Hetmyer might have contributed just a single run with the bat, but the Guyana Amazon Warriors talisman batter was all smiles here on Thursday evening as his side cruised to a comfortable six-wicket victory over the Jamaica Kingsmen in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The win marks the Warriors’ first scalp of the new campaign and, for Hetmyer, it was the ideal follow-up to recent global success.

Fresh off the franchise’s triumph in the inaugural Global Super League, the Guyanese outfit showed no signs of a hangover, clinically chasing down the hosts’ total to get their CPL campaign off to a perfect start.

“We’re taking one game at a time, and it’s actually pretty good to be there and to be a part of that team that actually won it [the Global Super League],” Hetmyer said in the post-match interview. “And then, coming here, winning our first game against the Kingsmen in CPL, just makes everything feel so much better.”

Despite his own early dismissal, Hetmyer was effusive about the dressing room atmosphere, pointing to the seamless transition from the team’s exploits in the Global Super League as a key factor in their early-season form.

“We actually really gel well, and we can prep and everything from that,” he added. “So now it’s just resting. Take the good things from this one and the bad ones, and look to improve.”

The 29-year-old is fast approaching a personal milestone, sitting just three games away from his 100th CPL appearance. In 97 matches to date, he has amassed 2,270 runs at an impressive strike rate, including one century and 15 half-centuries.

His most prolific season came in 2019 when he topped the Warriors’ run charts with 440 runs at an average of 40.

Asked about his individual targets for this year’s tournament, Hetmyer brushed aside any focus on personal numbers, insisting that team success and finishing the job are his only priorities.

“Honestly, I’m just trying to be there at the end with my team,” he stated. “Whether it be batting first, batting second, I’m just trying as much as possible to be as consistent as I possibly can. And I think, once I’m there, I had a conversation upstairs with a couple of the guys here. Once I’m there at the end, I think most, more times than not, we probably win.”

“So that’s basically my plan going into this year’s CPL, just to make sure that, at the end of the game, batting first, batting second, I’m trying to be there at the end.”