Cornwall tipped to make giant impression
West Indies coach Phil Simmons has gone in to bat for spinner Rahkeem Cornwall, believed to be the heaviest player in the history test cricket.
The Windies were scheduled set to start a test series against England overnight (NZ time) and Cornwall has been grabbing plenty of attention in Britain. At 1.95m and 140kg, he is hard to miss.
He has now taken the ‘‘heaviest player’’ title from former Australian captain Warwick ‘‘Big Ship’’ Armstrong who weighed about 133kg when he dominated the international game in the early 1900s.
Cornwall, 27, has taken 13 wickets in his two tests, including a seven-wicket haul against Afghanistan in November.
His only doubts about appearing in the opening test in Southampton were whether the Windies opt for his specialist talent or go for Roston Chase, a successful batsman who can bowl offspin as well.
But Simmons insisted fitness won’t be a problem around Cornwall.
‘‘His size has not been an issue. If you see him at slip and some of the catches he has taken, there is no issue there,’’ Simmons said.
‘‘He is capable of bowling an enormous amount of overs, he has done that throughout the years so [his size] has not been a hindrance to him.
‘‘His little knee injury has been fixed and now he is as strong as ever. He is a very quiet character but a very serious man.’’
Cornwall told Cricinfo he had to work hard on his fitness and said he had learned to shut out what critics felt about his size. He felt his height, in particular, was a big asset because it gave him the ability to provide extra bounce on his deliveries.
‘‘There’s no doubt about it I am a big guy, but I have to put in work. I don’t really get too bogged down and lazy about it. I spend a lot of time on my fitness. Try to eat properly.
‘‘A lot of people underestimate me because of my size. I fool a lot of people – especially bowling from my height and getting a lot of spin.’’
Former West Indies batsman Philo Wallace believes Cornwall, who can swing a bat too, can have a huge impact in England.
‘‘I think that Cornwall is going to be our match-winner because he is the man that is going to apply the pressure. I like him, he is skillful,’’ he said. ‘‘He is a skillful bowler and he is smart. I think he can be the trump in England.’’