Cornwall disappointed but respects decision to not use his spin in CPL final

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TAROUBA, TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO - AUGUST 20: Rahkeem Cornwall of St Lucia Zouks hits 4 during the Hero Caribbean Premier League match 5 between St Lucia Zouks and Barbados Tridents at Brian Lara Cricket Academy on August 20, 2020 in Tarouba, Trinidad And Tobago. (Photo by Randy Brooks - CPL T20/CPL T20 via Getty Images)
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By Neto Baptiste

West Indies and St Lucia Zouks all-rounder, Rahkeem Cornwall, said he was a bit surprised at not being offered the ball on September 10 in his team’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL) Final loss to eventual champions Trinbago Knight Riders at the Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad.

The Antiguan, who claimed only two wickets in 10 matches during this year’s tournament, added that, however, he understood and respected the captain’s decision.

“It was basically the captain’s decision; maybe it was his gut-feeling to go for the other bowlers. He thought he didn’t need me at that time so he went for especially his depth bowlers,” he said.

“The pitch was a spin-bowlers pitch and I am always ready for whenever he calls on me and if he doesn’t then that is the case but I am always set and ready for if I am called upon,” he added.

Knight Riders became the first team to go through an entire CPL season undefeated after they beat the St Lucia Zouks by eight wickets to win a fourth CPL title.

Cornwall, who took one of the best catches of the tournament, a one-handed beauty to dismiss Guyana Amazon Warriors’ Imran Tahir in their semifinal clash, expressed disappointment over the team’s ability to go all the way.

“I am disappointed that we never really got over the final hurdle but I think this year the team showed a lot of improvement from previous years. I think the energy in the camp was good, everything s clicking and but we just didn’t finish off the way we wanted to,” the Antiguan said.

“I just think we didn’t really execute the final five overs. I think we fought right down to the 15th over and we didn’t really execute well, so Trinidad got the momentum and they just never really gave us a chance,” he added.

As for his overall performance in the tournament, Cornwall believes it could have been better.

“I didn’t really start off the tournament that well but on the backend, I think I started to gather momentum, but overall it was an okay tournament for me. I could have done a bit more but I just didn’t do the right things and consistently enough,” he said.

Cornwall, in his 10 innings, scored 182 runs with a highest of 32. He had an average of 20.22 and was his team’s fourth highest scorer in the tournament.

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