By Neto Baptiste
West Indies spin-bowler, Rahkeem Cornwall, said it has been difficult to score at the international level, adding that he wants to improve his contributions with the bat in his bid to evolve into a better all-round player.
Speaking on the Good Morning Jojo Sports Show the Liberta Blackhawks and Leeward Islands player was blunt, stating that he has not lived up to the billing with the bat.
“I think I am shortchanging myself where the batting is concerned. I think I can be a top-order batsman, but the numbers are not showing, so I still have to do some work to get my batting where it needs to be, because what you get on the international level is more consistency; where in regional cricket you might get probably three or four bad balls in one over, in international cricket it’s probably two or even one; and you just have to concentrate more and dig deep where you’re playing against the best in the world,” he said.
In his two Tests to date, the player has managed only 20 runs in three innings with a highest of 14. Cornwall has however, certainly lived up to the billing where his bowling is concerned, claiming 13 wickets in just two Tests for 294 runs at an average of 22.61.
The right arm off-break bowler, who recently had surgery, said he has been recuperating well.
“I am still putting in my work, I still go over to Liberta and get in some practice to keep myself topping up [fit] so that whenever this is over you are not [starting] from behind the eight ball. I am trying to make a mark for myself in international cricket, the series were a little bit spaced out. At the moment I am not too ready [fitness wise] because as you may already know I have had surgery on my two knees and I am still trying to get back to full fitness. I am just about 60 [percent] so I still have to put in some work to get back to full fitness,” he said.
In November last year, Cornwall, on day one of only his second Test, returned with best figures of seven for 75 against Afghanistan as the home team slipped from 90 for two to 187 all out on the opening day of their one-off Test, at Lucknow, India.
He returned in the second innings to claim three more wickets, ending the match with 10 for 121.