Former New Zealand cricketer Simon Doull says that Rajasthan Royals (RR) batsman Shimron Hetmyer’s preference for the leg side has been the reason for his failure on multiple occasions.
He advised Hetmyer to abandon his one-dimensional approach and explore playing shots on the offside as well. According to Doull, the left-handed batter merely wants to clear his front leg and slog the ball on the leg side.
In an interview with Cricbuzz, he explained:
““Shimron Hetmyer is enormously talented, but he has become one-dimensional. He has become a leg side Larry. He’s got to remember there’s an off side to the ground. He is so big and powerful. He is such a strong individual. He’s got a great base, but he has just become one-dimensional.
“Everything has become clear the front leg and hoick to the leg side. It doesn’t have to be along the ground. He can hit it in the air. But I just think he’s got to remember there are two sides to a cricket ground. If he can do that and give himself an opportunity to hit both sides, I feel like he’s going to be a better player.”
In IPL 2023, Hetmyer has scored 253 runs in 13 innings. The Southpaw has a strike rate of 149.70 to his credit. Rajasthan will be looking for the swashbuckling batter to shine with the bat in their last game, which is also a must-win for them.
On Friday, May 19, RR will face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala.
“They will need him to be at his best” – Simon Doull on Trent Boult’s role in RR’s final league match
Rajasthan should play great left-arm bowler Trent Boult in the vital match against Punjab, according to Simon Doull. This season, the fast bowler has missed games owing to injury worries.
The cricketer-turned-commentator emphasised that even if Boult is 90 per cent healthy, he must return to the team.
“They [RR] have monitored him and have been careful with him. You have to play these games. This is his job now. His job is not playing for New Zealand anymore, his job is playing franchise cricket.
“This is his biggest gig. If he’s 90 per cent, he’s got to play, and I know he will. He wants it, he wants it more than anything. He is one of the keys for them inside the powerplay. He has been so good over so many years. They will need him to be at his best.”
In this edition, Boult appeared in nine matches and took 12 wickets. He has bowled at an 8.14 economy rate.