BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – A programme is being designed for West Indies A all-rounder, Rahkeem Cornwall, which is aimed at ensuring the player fulfills his immense potential.
Chairman of selectors, Courtney Browne, said the 23-year-old was “a special talent” and would be given all the necessary support from the West Indies Cricket Board in order to develop his career.
“We’re actually putting a programme in place for Rahkeem where we are actually going to have someone to manage him overall,” Browne told Line and Length Network.
“We are looking at the various components of him playing cricket where we are looking at coaches, dieticians, and just getting everybody to come together to help this young player because he’s a special talent.”
Cornwall has emerged as one of the finest young players in the region and was recently selected for the West Indies A tour of Sri Lanka.
He was outstanding during the three-match four-day Test series, claiming 23 wickets with his off-spin, including a career-best eight of 108 in the opening game in Colombo last October.
Cornwall has also taken 25 wickets so far in the first five games of the Regional first class championship, and has chipped in with three half-centuries.
Browne said the WICB would not allow the Antiguan to fall by the wayside.
“He’s definitely on our list,” the former Test wicketkeeper stressed.
“You would have seen that he’s played our A-team cricket and he’s done very well there. He’s continued to do well at first class cricket.”
Cornwall, who has already played 25 first class games, is a towering six-footer who has in the past come under scrutiny because of his burly size, with pundits speculating about his athleticism.
And Browne said WICB players relations officer, Ayanna Cooper, would lead the charge in ensuring the right team was in place to help Cornwall in every area of his game.
“One of things is that we don’t want to happen is for people to say we didn’t support him so we’re actually looking to put a lot of support around him,” Browne stressed.
“We’ve already started the process where we’ve got a team of people together which will be championed by Ayana Cooper … so she’s going to coordinate from that aspect where we will try to get all the people that are necessary in, to help him be a success.”
Cornwall is part of the Leeward Islands Hurricanes squad for the Regional Super50 starting here today.
