A lot has been said of West Indies’ pace attack for the upcoming three-match Test series against England beginning July 8 at the Rose Bowl, Southampton.
The attack consisting of Kemar Roach, Alzarri Joseph, Chemar Holder, Jason Holder, and Shannon Gabriel has been tremendously lauded and even compared to great West Indian attacks of yesteryear. In doing so, the anticipation of blasting England out with searing pace and seam is a reasonable one. But one that is left to be seen.
However, Jason Holder depending on the composition of the bowling attack will also have off-spinner Rahkeem Cornwall up his sleeves. Cornwall could become a useful resource for Holder on the wearing Old Trafford square which will be used to host the final two test matches of the series.
It is unlikely that the curator will prepare one pitch for the last two matches. The playing square, however, will be scoffed up a bit during the second test which could create an ideal setting for the burly off-spinner during the final match of the series.
The Old Trafford wicket has a propensity to offer spinners a little bit of assistance. England’s off-spinner Jim Laker is the most successful spinner on the Manchester-based ground. Laker who operated in the 1950s took 27 wickets from five appearances there. Nineteen (19-90) of those 27 wickets came in one match against Australia in 1956. Monty Panesar (25), Lance Gibbs (23), Shane Warne (21), and more recently England’s Moeen Ali (16) have all enjoyed success there.
And so, there is enough evidence to suggest that Cornwall, if he can capitalize on the little bit of wear on offer, will be a useful option for his skipper. But he will have to adjust swiftly on his maiden tour of England. And he’s not the most experienced, having only played two test matches; one in the Caribbean against India and the other in India against Afghanistan. Nevertheless, the 27-year-old during a first-class career spanning 62 matches, snared over 300 wickets. He has had a few eye-catching moments in his career, most notably in 2016 during a tour game against a visiting Indian side, where he captured the wickets of Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. His performance according to ESPN prompted Kohli to request his presence in the nets before the Tests. Three years on, he ironically made his test debut against India. He bowled ‘naggingly’ but without luck. Yet, he picked up the wicket of Pujara as his maiden test scalp. He then captured a 10-for in his second Test, against Afghanistan in Lucknow last November.
There is enough there to suggest that he can be a handful. But notwithstanding his ability, the upcoming campaign against England will be a challenging one, especially in conditions that are not ideal for his style of bowling. Nonetheless, as mentioned before, Cornwall could become West Indies’ secret weapon on the wearing surface at Old Trafford.
Sports Editor’s note: (Royston Alkins is a former Guyana U19 cricketer)
