Cornwall aims to be King of Spin on home turf
If you ask Rahkeem Cornwall what it means to play a Test match at home he will tell you it means “everything”. The West Indies off spinning allrounder is set for his first Test on home soil and Sunday’s start to the Sandals Test Series will be a dream come true for the 28-year-old.
Cornwall has played at the venue many times for Antigua and Barbuda as well as Leeward Islands Hurricanes but this occasion on the international stage is the ultimate. He will also be looking to continue his great work with the ball following the heroics on the recent tour of Bangladesh.
He was the chief protagonist in the second Test in that historic triumph at Mirpur when he took nine wickets for 179 runs and held the final catch at slip to seal the win by 17 runs.
“It’s always good to represent your country … I will be playing for West Indies and Antigua and I know the support will be there for me,” Cornwall told CWI Media.
“It’s a good surface. Probably from the third day it will start to help me a bit. It’s a track that offers spin later down in the Test match so hopefully we can carry the game as deep as possible.”
In his brief Test career so far, Cornwall has bowled some marathon spells. In his first Test innings against India in Jamaica he bowled 41 overs. In his second Test against Afghanistan Lucknow, India he sent down 43 overs in the match to capture 10 wickets. Last month in Bangladesh he bowled a whopping 69.2 overs in the first Test and another 62 in the second.
“It’s about consistency,” he added. “Once I can do that over a period of time, I think the wickets will come and the results really show. So I just have to be as consistent as much as possible.”
Having scored only 39 runs from nine innings in his five Tests to date, Cornwall sees the Sandals Test Series as an opportunity to finally make his mark.
“I’m putting in the work in the nets. I’m trying to get my batting where it’s supposed to be,” he said. “I think I’m a good capable batsman [but] I just haven’t shown it as yet on the international scene so I think now is the time. It’s the perfect opportunity at home to showcase what my batting can do.”