How easy is this Test cricket gig? Photo / Twitter.
How easy is this Test cricket gig? Photo / Twitter.
If Rahkeem Cornwall's impact is as big as his frame, the West Indies will have struck gold.
Cricket lovers have been waiting for the day when the 140kg cult hero would grace the Test arena with his imposing presence and that moment finally arrived in the early hours of Saturdaymorning.
The 1.98m giant is impossible to miss and India's KL Rahul found that out the hard way when he picked out Cornwall in the field to become the first wicket to fall in the second Test of the two-match series being played in the Caribbean.
After losing the series opener to India, the West Indies made a couple of changes and Cornwall wasted no time justifying his selection. He's a big target in the field and Rahul couldn't avoid him as the big bopper snaffled a slips catch off the bowling of captain Jason Holder to send the Indian opener on his way for 13.
Cornwall's dream introduction to Test cricket continued when thrown the ball early in the first session. The off-spinning all-rounder was hit over the top for a boundary before skidding a delivery past the outside edge in his second over, and in his third over he was celebrating his maiden wicket in the five-day format.
All that catching practice paid off. Photo / Twitter.
Cheteshwar Pujara rocked back and gave himself room to cut a short-ish ball through the off side but was surprised by some extra bounce and sliced it straight to the fielder at backward point as India slumped to 2/46.
Given he's nearly 2m tall, it's not surprising Cornwall's off-break reared up at Pujara much more sharply than the Indian first drop expected.
Some reports in Indian media have anointed Cornwall the heaviest Test cricketer ever, surpassing former Australian captain Warwick Armstrong, whose weight fluctuated above the 130kg realm.
The larger-than-life character didn't play in the first Test in Antigua when the West Indies were crushed by 318 runs inside four days, but won a call-up because of his consistent performances for Leeward Islands and West Indies A over the years and replaced medium-pacer Miguel Cummins in the team.
Cornwall offers far more than just novelty value, as his impressive domestic record shows. The tweaker has taken 260 wickets in 55 first-class matches at the brilliant average of 23.9, grabbing five wickets in an innings 17 times and taking 10 scalps for the match on two occasions.
He's also more than handy with the bat and adds some extra depth to the Windies' lower order. He's scored one hundred and 13 first-class half centuries at an average of 24.43 with a strike rate nudging close to 70.
