The talk around West Indies uncapped all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall is as much about his weight as his top-notch skills that ultimately sealed the deal for him to get selected in West Indies Test squad for the two-match series against world’s no.1 ranked India, which commences after the culmination of the three-match ODI series between the two nations.
The 26-year-old, Cornwall weighs 140kg. But most importantly, he has claimed 260 wickets in 55 first-class games at 23.90 apiece and scored 2,224 runs at 24.43.
Cricket West Indies (CWI) president Ricky Skerritt has said that the uncapped allrounder will lose weight.
“Rahkeem has been under the supervision of CWI-appointed strength and conditioning trainer, nutritionist and coach. He is being managed with a concentrated plan wherein he will gradually lose weight and improve upon his fitness,” Skerritt was quoted as saying by Mid-Day. “He has been the most successful spinner in our first-class league and has earned his selection by taking many wickets at an economical rate.”
Robert Haynes, the interim head of West Indies’ selection panel, also rates the all-rounder very highly and was full of praise for Cornwall.
“Rahkeem has been performing consistently over a long period of time and has proven to be a match-winner, so we believe his elevation to the Test squad is merited at this time,” said Haynes. “We believe he can provide an attacking option to our bowling attack with his sharp turn and extra bounce. He can also lend a bit of depth to the batting, so we are looking forward to him coming into the squad and making a valuable contribution.”