West Indies batsman Shimron Hetmyer is set to join the regional squad in India on Thursday, February 5, two days before their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup opener against Scotland.
The 29-year-old Guyanese left-hander’s visa issues appeared to have been resolved, clearing the way for his timely arrival with the team.
Noted international commentator, Dr Joseph Reds Perreira, told St Lucia Times that Hetmyer had travelled to South Africa for their T20I series on a passport that did not contain his Indian visa, leading to the delay.
“Hetmyer had travelled to South Africa for the matches there with his new Guyana passport, and a Guyana passport does not need a visa to enter South Africa. He did not bring his old passport, which presently holds his Indian visa, and hence could not travel,” Perreira explained.
“My information is from someone who spoke to a high-ranking West Indies board official that the matter should be sorted out today [Thursday] and Hetmyer should be on his way to South Africa in a matter of hours, and should be able to arrive in India by this afternoon Eastern Caribbean time.”
This is not entirely unfamiliar territory for Hetmyer, whose 1345 runs in international cricket rank him fourth on the current squad. In 2022, he was dropped from the T20 World Cup squad after missing two rescheduled flights to Australia for personal reasons.
His absence would have been a blow for the Men in Maroon, as they prepare to face Scotland in their opening match on Saturday, February 7. He has 233 runs this year at an average of 46.60, and against South Africa, he tallied 171 runs in just three innings.
Perreira said while Hetmyer was culpable, he insisted that the team leadership needed to take accountability as well.
“The fault lies with Hetmyer, no doubt. But I would have thought that the natural thing to do by Rawl Lewis, the manager, was to email everyone before they left their respective Caribbean homes to say, ‘Please walk with your passport that contains the Indian visa’. Whether that was done or not, I do not know,” he said.
Hetmyer missed Wednesday’s warmup match against Afghanistan, as well as the official ICC photoshoot ahead of the tournament.
Just a question: at what point in time did Hetmyer know he was a confirmed member of WI World Cup squad? Hence the necessity to have his “Indian visa” with him.