Hetmyer century headlines Guyana win over Jamaica
Guyana, after winning their first two games, had suffered a setback against Barbados Tridents, while Jamaica were the form team, having won all their first three games. But Guyana roared back to the top of the table in Lauderhill, Florida on Saturday, August 18 with a big 71-run win, which broke Jamaica’s momentum.
After Malik won the toss and opted to bat in the first match of the season to be played in the United States of America, Guyana lost Chadwick Walton to Samuel Badree quickly.
But Hetmyer, in at No.3, blazed away from the start, sending Imad Wasim and Badree for sixes and fours even as Luke Ronchi, the other opener, struggled to go big. Luke Ronchi fell for 8 in 11 balls, but his partnership with Hetmyer was worth 41, and Hetmyer didn’t let up even after Ronchi’s fall.
In Malik, Hetmyer had the perfect partner, and the two of them added 108 runs in just under nine overs, matching each other stroke for stroke, almost. Hetmyer was still the more enterprising man out there, hitting 11 fours and five sixes to get to his first Twenty20 century off just 48 balls.
It has been a lucrative period for Hetmyer, who has built on his early promise by racking up a series of good scores – he got runs in the Tests and one-day internationals against Bangladesh, and the 100 on Saturday was his second big contribution in the CPL 2018, after the 79* he scored against St Kitts & Nevis Patriots in the first game.
He fell off the very next ball, though, toe-ending Oshane Thomas to long-off, but the damage had been done. There was a flurry of wickets towards the end of the innings, but with Malik hitting 50 in 33 balls, Guyana still had a big total – 209/7.
“It's a very good feeling. For me it was my positivity that helped me. I had the support from my captain, who asked me to keep going and also there was support of other players,” said Hetmyer after the game. “The pitch was a very good one so I tried to stay there as long as possible.”
The Jamaica chase didn’t go to plan at all. The New Zealand duo of Glenn Phillips (43 in 29 balls) and Ross Taylor (30 in 20 balls) did their bit, but Jamaica were always well behind. And with Chris Green (2/19) and Imran Tahir (2/26) among the wickets, the innings didn’t really go anywhere, ending on 138 in 16.2 overs.
“When you are playing against a good team, 150-160 is not enough. I was asking him (Hetmyer) to play on the merit of the ball. Playing with a young player, you have to back him up and rotate the strike at the same time,” said Malik.
Andre Russell, the Jamaica captain, also showered Hetmyer with praise. “He played a fearless innings tonight,” said Russell. “That's the kind of a player you need in any team. He backed himself and played to his strengths. All credits to him. Going to the crease and the crowd behind you, it works.
“In T20 cricket, momentum is everything. When you are chasing a big total, you have to stay on top. Overall it was a good game. We pulled it back well during bowling. I think with the batters we have, we should have got the target. We know we have to do well and gel together as a team. You got to know how losing a game feels.”