Legendary former West Indies captain Clive Lloyd says current young batsmen Nicholas Pooran and Shimron Hetmyer are as good as any of the young batsmen he has seen at the current 2019 ICC World Cup.
Lloyd had a long discussion with the two batsmen at the end of a dinner held in the team’s honour by sponsor Sandals International at the Principal Hotel in Manchester on Tuesday night. The Guyana-born Lloyd was one of several former players who showed up at the event to spend some time with the current West Indies team, which has already been knocked out of World Cup playoff contention.
During on the one on one session, which lasted more than half an hour, Lloyd, however, told the duo they needed to understand that they can't hit away every ball and they must be more circumspect in their batting. He reminded them that getting cameos is not good enough and they must set themselves up for a long stay while at the crease in order to make big scores to assist the West Indies.
Speaking with Guardian Media after his discussions with the two young players, Lloyd, who led the Windies to the first two World Cup titles in 1975 and ’79, said: "I spoke to them about certain aspects of the game and they asked me a few questions and I was basically telling them that they are two of the best batsmen that the West Indies have and they are the future. And by now they need to put some scores together and have some hundreds under their belts.
"I also stressed to them how they can get out of difficult situations and I mentioned to them that there is no bowler who got them out, they got themselves out in this tournament so far.”
Lloyd said while the team may not have achieved the success it wanted in the current tournament, facing some of the best players in the world will help Pooran and Hetmyer going forward.
“It is a plus for them that they have faced some of the best bowlers in the world and they have handled them well,” Lloyd said.
“I also mentioned to them that they looked really top class against England in that game at Southampton and it was unfortunate when a run out broke their partnership.
“It is about time that they showcase their talent and the best way to do that is by buckling down and stringing together some good scores. They have normally done the good work and then gave it away. They just need to apply themselves a little bit more and finish the job."
He also assessed the ability of both players.
"Hetmyer has tremendous ability, he picks up the ball quickly and gets into line to play his shots. Sometimes he wants to score too fast and loses his concentration.
"I think the same of Pooran and I have told both of them that, they are two of the best batsmen I have seen at this tournament."
