West Indies all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall is among the heaviest cricketers ever in the international cricket with weighing in at 140 kgs and the six-foot-five inch height, but still, he is unfazed by it, saying he knows exactly how to get the best out of his big stature on the cricket field.
Being a heavyweight in person, the 27-year-old had to face several hurdles to prove quite a few wrong to become a cricketer and realize his dream of playing Test cricket for the West Indies.
However, the selectors were quick to notice his talent and Cornwall managed to earn his Test debut in August last year against India. Three months later, the spinner made the headlines with his first 10-wicket haul against Afghanistan in Test cricket. He has so far played in three Tests for his country with the final appearance came against England last month.
The all-rounder, who is currently representing St. Lucia Zouks in the Caribbean Premier Leauge (CPL) 2020, recently spoke about his towering height and weight – which would be certainly out of perception in the modern-day cricket, how it somewhere helps his game.
Antigua-born also admitted he is able to generate more bounce than most off-spinners and combines it with his accuracy to trouble batsmen with his towering height.
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Cornwall told Reuters from Trinidad: “Everybody’s not going to be small. I just stick to my strength and do what I know I can do and perform. I think my height has played a big part ... I also have to put the ball in the right areas to get the ball to spin.”
Antigua-born spinner is also blessed with soft hands and sharp reflexes to be a good slip-catcher. He added, “I think my hands are good. I think I’m a good catcher of the cricket ball, so fielding in the slip comes easy to me. I can field in different positions but I just prefer to be in the slip because I can catch.”
On England Test experience, Cornwall signed off by saying: “Patience and adapting to different conditions is key. I think England is one of the toughest places to play cricket. I learned a lot from the test series.”
