Antiguan and Leeward Islands all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall is back on the Cricket West Indies “fitness programme” amid reports he is being considered for selection ahead of India’s tour of the Caribbean now slated for August. Speaking with OBSERVER Sports, Cornwall said he is currently working with CWI fitness coordinator Ronald Rogers out of Trinidad.
“Training-wise, I am trying to get as fit as I can because I think I am preparing for India. It’s nothing in terms of getting to a particular weight but just to see how far I can get as quickly as possible between now and June,” he said.
Cornwall, who spoke with OBSERVER following his gym routine on Thursday morning, said he is happy to be back on the programme and hopes it results in finally being able to make his senior team debut. “It is something that I am up for and something I am happy about so it’s just up to me now to put in the work.
It’s really just the gym alone because we do gym in the mornings and then we do on-the-field work. In the afternoons I would do my cricket activities,” the player said. The all-rounder, who represents the PIC Liberta Blackhawks on the local front, said playing in both the ongoing Cool & Smooth T20 Explosion and the national cricket league are critical in his efforts to remain match-fit.
“It’s a little testing . . . after playing in the nights and then have to go first up in the morning to train. It tests how mentally prepared you are to go and do the job at hand,” he said. Cornwall finished the CWI’s Four Day competition as the chief wicket taker with 54 wickets at an average of 17.68, and was the only bowler to pass 50 wickets in the season. He also had a decent season with the bat down the order, ending with 419 runs at an average of nearly 28.