Browne Defends Cornwall’s Omission

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Rahkeem ‘Jimbo’ Cornwall has found himself in the spotlight again as he has been left out of the West Indies team yet again.
Courtney Browne, chairman of selectors of West Indies Cricket, in defending the decision not to place Cornwall on the team for the upcoming tour of England which begins next month  said that Cornwall has challenges in maintaining fitness.
“Well Rahkeem has other issues with his conditioning … we are working very hard to get him to the position where if and when he gets into international cricket he could actually stand up to the rigors,” Browne said on the Good Morning Jojo show.
“I say this to people all the time, the way how cricket goes, there is always opportunity for players. If a player is not selected now, or a player is not selected 3 months, 6 months or 7 months down the road, there is always opportunity. Players lose form, players get injured, there is always opportunity,” Browne contended as he explained the selection criteria and process that was engaged in to determine the fifteen players of the tour party, which includes nine Barbadians.
The chairman added that Cornwall had lost his spot on the team because Devendra Bishoo has been producing well with the ball and since they will be playing in England, two spin bowlers were not needed.
Cricket legend, Sir Vivian Alexander Richards, did not agree with Browne’s reasoning. Speaking to OBSERVER media yesterday, Sir Vivian reacted to Browne’s comments and highlighted another former West Indian player whom people had considered to be overweight but came into the squad and had a positive impact.
“If you compare ‘Jimbo’ to when Shannon Gabriel first came into the team, Gabriel wasn’t that mobile in the field. He improved as the years went by. ‘Jimbo’ is a good catcher and we all agree that he looks a bit heavy but at the end of the day the guy has performed,” Sir Viv said.
Sir Vivian added that Cornwall may not look like the average cricketer but his numbers over the years have actually shown that he can be an invaluable contributor to the regional team. He added that the selectors sometimes seem confused as to what they are really trying to do with the regional game.
Cornwall is a 24-year old all-rounder who many has argued deserves an opportunity to prove himself on the international stage.

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