Cornwall silences doubters with match-winning century

By Rawle Toney

Amidst the thunderous roar of thousands at the Kensington Oval on Sunday evening, a ‘bat drop’ punctuated the unforgettable moment of Rahkeem Cornwall’s maiden Caribbean Premier League (CPL) century – an unbeaten 102 from just 48 deliveries.

It was a redemption story for a player who, just two weeks earlier, had become the subject of ridicule in the early stages of this year’s CPL tournament.

In the Royals’ opening match against the St Lucia Kings on August 17, the heavyset Cornwall was run-out for a ‘duck’ by Chris Sole in embarrassing fashion as he ambled for a single.

The incident instantly turned him into a global meme and subjected him to relentless trolling for his perceived inability to run because of his size.

Following that infamous run-out, Cornwall struggled, scoring a total of 73 runs in five innings: 38 against the Patriots, another ‘duck’ against the Trinbago Knight Riders, 17 against the Jamaica Tallawahs, and 18 against the Kings, leading to calls for him to be dropped from the side.

However, the “Big Rahk” answered his critics with a destructive innings against the St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, a game in which the Royals were tasked with chasing 220 for victory.

Kensington Oval witnessed a rain of sixes, and fans revelled in the downpour of balls sent soaring by Cornwall’s towering hits – precisely 12 of them.

Having achieved his century with a single off England’s Benny Howell’s, Cornwall basked in the glory of a masterclass innings celebrated at one of the world’s most renowned cricket venues.

Cornwall retired in the 16th over, making his way back to the Royals’ dugout to a standing ovation, firmly silencing those who had questioned his selection.

It was the highest individual score in the tournament this year, with Martin Guptill (100 not out) being the only other batsman this season to score a century.

Cornwall’s 175 runs also places him among the CPL’s top three batsmen so far, behind only Sherfane Rutherford (176) and Brandon King (186). 

Reflecting on his remarkable performance, Cornwall told reporters, “I just backed myself and my balance, and once the ball was in my area, I put it away. It’s my first CPL hundred. I had 93 last year, so I think this one is a really good knock for me.”

Despite the Royals needing a win to keep their playoff hopes alive and Cornwall striving to silence his critics, the Antiguan batting all-rounder maintained that he felt no pressure at the crease.

“There was no pressure. Once we do the right things consistently, we’ll come out on top. The mood in the camp is to trust everybody, so we just go out there and perform,” Cornwall candidly stated.

“It feels good getting our team over the line. We needed this win to keep our chances alive in the competition, so we just went out and did our best.”

Playing at home for the first time since the 2019 tournament, the Royals concluded their four matches in five days with two wins and two losses.

Cornwall expressed his gratitude to the fans, saying, “They (the fans) were fantastic. From the start, they backed us, even though we went down in two games; they never gave
up on us.”

Up next for the Royals is a meeting with the Knight Riders on September 6, followed by back-to-back encounters against the Guyana Amazon Warriors on September 10 and 17. 

Their victory on Sunday evening against the Patriots moved them into fourth place in the six-team standings with seven points.

Cornwall summed it up, saying, “We have some up-and-down games remaining, so we just have to go out there and execute.” 

rawletoney@barbadostoday.bb