Captain of the PIC Liberta Blackhawks and Leeward Islands all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall says he was always confident that his team would have dominated this year’s instalment of the Cool & Smooth T20 Explosion. Speaking following Blackhawks’ comfortable victory by 60 runs over Empire Nation in Saturday night’s final at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Ground, Cornwall said his team’s unbeaten run in the tournament was a directresult of the hard work put in by the players.
“I think the boys really put in the work for the past couple of weeks and they are enjoying the results because, in the end, the results came. After the first couple of round-robin games we started to play our most outstanding cricket, scoring 200 … and we knew that once our batting clicked there was no doubt we would get a total like that,” he said. In a match reduced to 14 overs due to rain, Blackhawks posted 131 for two after winning the toss and opting to bat.
They were led by a splendid knock of 81 from 52 deliveries by Kofi James. He slammed five fours and seven huge sixes. Empire Nation could only reach 96 for six in their allotment of 14 overs. Cleyton Payne and Damian Lowenfield got starts but could not adequately carry on, falling for 34 and 23 runs, respectively. Cornwall said he anticipated more of a fight from what he considers formidable opponents.
“We knew the firepower they have and we just had to play careful and try to get the best combination that was working for the night and I think we did that very well. Our focus is still now on the Two Day competition and some of the guys who didn’t really get the opportunity in the T20 will have a chance to play in the Two Day,” the player said.
Cornwall had two wickets for 20 runs in three overs to help Blackhawks lift their fourth title in six years and claim the $15,000 grand prize. The loss was Empire’s third in the finals since the start of the competition seven years ago.