By Neto Baptiste
West Indies and Antiguan spinner, Rahkeem Cornwall, has credited mental preparation ahead of the Bangladesh Test series for part of his success in the sub-continent.
Cornwall, who claimed a total of 14 wickets across the two Tests, said he anticipated a heavy workload going into the series.
“I know the workload was going to be heavy in terms of the conditions [conducive to spin] so I just set my mind that I have to put in the work. It is a good feeling and I think the guys backed the opportunity we got to perform and trusted the preparation from the coaching staff. We had good team camaraderie and we just went out there and performed well,” he said.
The Leeward Islands bowler, who had nine wickets in the second Test, said also that the cohesiveness between the players in Bangladesh had a major influence on their performance throughout the series.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show, Cornwall said the players formed a bond that became unbreakable on and off the field.
“After the way the one-day series went, these guys kept pounding the fact that we need to stick together as a group, fight for each other and enjoy each other’s success. So, everybody backed one another’s ability and backed each other’s skills; so we don’t look at it as a young team, we look at it as everyone has played a lot of First Class cricket and we have good skills. We just back our peers and go out there to compete against Bangladesh,” the player said.
Despite his prowess with the ball, Cornwall said he will continue to work on his batting as he prepares for the Sir Lanka team tour of the Caribbean in March.
“Need to focus a bit more on my batting and, hopefully, if the Leeward Islands qualify for the semifinals [of the Super 50] then I will play for the Leeward Islands. Other than that, I just have to put in some practice before the Sri Lanka series,” he said.
Cornwall was named Man of the Match following his performance in the second and final Test on Sunday.