Batters, spinners, pacers, wicketkeepers and finishers. 

It is only fair to segment the finishers separately from the other batters. Over the years, the role of a finisher has been worked and reworked so many times that it has become a completely different sport. 

Mastering the science behind power-hitting will help you attain only half of it; the other half always revolves around ‘mental fortitude’, which often differentiates good finishers from others. A player who has mastered the science of power-hitting and is attaining the wisdom of mental fortitude is none other than the 28-year-old Shimron Hetmyer. 

Since his debut, Hetmyer has seen it all, including batting at the top of the order and being seen as someone who can necessarily mow down spin, but it is that finisher role where the southpaw has found his niche. 

“The art of finishing games is a mindset thing,” Hetmyer told Cricket.com in an exclusive conversation. 

“You try as much; I try as much as possible to keep my mind as clear as possible when I’m in that situation, and then work hard on it in practice because practice makes it perfect. That’s something that I work on quite a lot in the nets to get ready for match situations,” he added. 

Watch all the ILT20 action live on FanCode

In the last two years (since 2023), the southpaw has been one of the most sought-after finishers in world cricket and was recently ‘doing his thing’ in the International League T20 2025, finishing games off for the Gulf Giants.

Across the last two years, Hetmyer has scored 663 runs at the death, striking at 178.2 while finding a boundary every 4.3 deliveries. It was on display earlier in the ongoing ILT20 season when the left-hander absolutely train-wrecked Dubai Capitals’ bowling unit, smashing 41 off 20 balls to take the Giants home from a spot of bother at 53/3. 

“I’m the last person to bat in the nets because I’m just working on doing that and trying my best to remain in good positions while keeping my shape. But yes, the focus is always on the job at hand,” he spoke of his methods.

Last year, Hetmyer showed his ultimate power game when he smashed 11 sixes for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League without hitting a single four, a record. But despite hitting the ball so sweetly and consistently, the left-hander revealed that he’s working consistently hard in the nets to improve further – clearing the boundary rope without losing shape. 

“The only thing I’m working on is keeping my shape when trying to hit the ball. Sometimes, while trying to hit sixes, I hit the ball a little bit too hard, so I lose shape, and the ball doesn’t go where I want it to,” he said. 

Despite playing two editions of ILT20, Hetmyer was pleasantly ‘surprised’ with how the games played out earlier this season, with conditions favouring pacers heavily. Thus far in the competition, 74.76% of the wickets have been taken by pacers, making it tough for the batters against the quicks. 

“I was surprised by a few things, like how fast they could shave the grass off the pitches. In the first couple of games, so much grass was on that pitch, which surprised me. Also, how cold it gets at night. Because I’m from the Caribbean, there’s sun or rain there. That’s basically what I’m accustomed to. Here, even when the sun is out, it is still cold,” he said.

It wasn’t just the conditions that surprised Hetmyer but also the young United Arab Emirates (UAE) talents, like Aayan Afzal Khan, with whom he’s been sharing a dressing room for the last three years. Hetmyer called him a ‘fighter’, stating that the 19-year-old is someone with whom ‘you can go to war’. 

“I’ve been super impressed with Aayan Afzal Khan since the first edition. I remember wondering who he was in the first year, but afterwards, I got a clear picture that he’s someone with whom you can go to war, a fighter who never gives up,” Hetmyer applauded Aayan. 

“That’s really important to have as a cricketer. Plus, he keeps the team going; he’s always around for a chat. So, it is nice to see UAE talents getting their due recognition.

“All of this makes the tournament different and good. I’ve been here since the first edition, and up until now, I could see the tournament growing quite a lot. More and more people are coming and watching these games, helping the tournament grow bigger and better as well.”

During his time at the Giants this year, Hetmyer had the chance to learn from Andy Flower, one of the modern-day greats in T20 coaching. But the West Indian is more than excited to learn the art of ‘reverse sweeps’ from the Zimbabwean legend, who was known for his exceptional hands while batting. 

“It has been good until now. I am still getting Andy [Flower] to teach me to reverse sweep, but we will get there at some point. It is truly nice to have coaches who have experience playing,” Hetmyer said. 

“Luckily, he [Flower] was also a left-hander, so it made it easier for me to just go up to him and have a conversation. Even the other way around, he gives me some suggestions and tweaks while in the nets, which helps me improve my game.”

But all of this experience comes at a cost. In Hetmyer’s case, quite a heavy one, as the franchise gigs around the world keep the West Indian away from home and, more importantly, away from his two-year-old. 

“It’s quite a lot [travel], actually. It’s more difficult when, like when you also have a family. That doesn’t help. I have a two-year-old back home who’s similar to me in the sense that he zones out a lot,” he said candidly. 

“It is quite difficult to be away from home more than at home. I really do like being at home. But, I guess I’m just trying to give them something to start on, like when they are older.”

Fortunately for Hetymer, he’s one of the most sought-after finishers in world cricket. Unfortunately for Hetymer, the demand for his skill set as a finisher isn’t dying anytime soon, and his family will have to adjust to that. 

Watch all the ILT20 action live on FanCode