When West Indies all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall had made his international debut against India in 2019, it was his weight and overall physical appearance which was being talked about more than his cricketing skills.
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As per credible media reports, he had surpassed former Australia captain Warwick Armstrong to become the heaviest Test cricketer ever. In fact, the 30-year-old’s West Indies debut had to be delayed by a couple of years in order to get him in shape first.
However, despite four years into his Test career now, the off-spinning all-rounder yet again managed to hog the limelight for the same reason during the first day of the first Test of the ongoing India’s tour of West Indies.
Weight Of Rahkeem Cornwall
If reports from the beginning of this year are to be believed, Rahkeem Cornwall approximately weighs 143 kilograms or 315 lbs. A significant part of his overall weight is his 6′ 7” height, which would certainly make one believe that he could take on most of the big-boned individuals.
During an interaction with ESPNcricinfo in January earlier this year, Cornwall had remarked that he hails from a family of “big-boned” people, and loved playing cricket and football growing up. The constant criticism around his weight since his U-19 days, however, does not seem to affect him at all as he believes it is solely his cricketing skills that matter on the cricket field.
“I can’t change my body structure. I can’t say that I’m too tall or too big. Everybody is not going to be short, everybody is not going to be slim. All I can do is go out there, back myself and show my skill.”
Just a Test match into his international career, Cornwall had a surgery on both his knees, in what he would claim to be a consequence of an old injury. What that has meant is that he is no longer able to take part in the Yo-Yo fitness test mandatory for a West Indian international cricketer. Instead, his fitness is assessed via the time he is able to spend on a cardio bike.
There are no points for guessing that him being overweight is one of the reasons for his non-participation in the Yo-Yo test, with the upper-part body weight acting as a hurdle. Having said that, it is not as if Cornwall indulges in non-healthy eating habits or does not follow a proper fitness routine.
“There’s no doubt about it I am a big guy, but I have to put in work. I don’t really get too bogged down and lazy about it. I spend a lot of time on my fitness. Try to eat properly.”
“Rahkeem Cornwall Will Gradually Lose Weight” – Cricket West Indies Chief In 2019
In spite him not paying too much heed to the need of being in an ideal shape until recently, the then CWI (Cricket West Indies) president Ricky Skerritt had claimed that Cornwall is under the supervision of a strength and conditioning trainer, nutritionist and a coach who will work on his overall fitness and help him lose his overall weight.
His statement had arrived after a lot of people found fault over his decision to hand a national call-up to a player who weighs around 140 kgs, ahead of a two-match Test series.
“Rahkeem has been under the supervision of CWI-appointed strength and conditioning trainer, nutritionist and coach. He is being managed with a concentrated plan wherein he will gradually lose weight and improve upon his fitness”.
Cornwall should be commended for not shying away from criticism over his body weight for quite some years now. In fact, it is quite imperative for a plus-size person to be comfortable in his/her own body initially.
When a person accepts oneself the way they are, only then will the journey towards attaining an ideal body shape reach the desired end point. It remains to be seen whether or not Cornwall is able to do away with the non-functional weight of his body in the years to come.
