Uttamchandani (inset) believes the giant Antiguan deserves a place in the West Indies team.
International cricket commentator and SportsMax correspondent Nikhil Uttamchandani has questioned Rahkeem Cornwall’s continued omission from the West Indies Test team in light of his consistent performances at the regional level.
During a recent edition of the Sportsmax Zone, Uttamchandani, while reviewing the first round of the 2023 West Indies Championship, was asked about Cornwall’s performance against Jamaica.
Cornwall starred with bat and ball, registering scores of 29 and 85, and finished with ten wickets for just 95 runs against the Jamaica Scorpions.
The burly Antiguan also took a tournament-best 23 first-class wickets in the five matches last year but has not played a Test for the West Indies since November 2021.
There has not been much from Cricket West Indies with regards to Cornwall’s continued omission from the Test squad but Uttamchandani opined that fitness should not be a concern.
“If fitness is a problem, how is he able to play four days of cricket consistently?” he questioned.
“Why are there [fitness] concerns when we go to Test cricket, which is just one additional day to the four-day cricket he is used to playing and is excelling with both bat and ball?”
Uttamchandani is hopeful that if Cornwall continues to do well this season, he will get that deserved return to the West Indies team.
The 30-year-old took 34 test wickets in nine matches, including a 10-wicket haul against Afghanistan in 2019.
He has scored two Test fifties in his career and is known for his powerful hitting in T20 cricket and boasts a strike rate of 147.49, which is among the highest in the world.
This, according to Uttamchandani, could make him a valuable asset to the Windies.
“He brings a unique style of play with the bat as we saw in that game [against Jamaica]. He scored 85 from 95 deliveries. He is destructive as we have seen in the CPL for years,” he added.
“[When] you look at England and Australia, the [Test] game is going in the direction of having that flexibility of aggressive players in your middle to lower order.”
Ultimately for Uttamchandani, “Rahkeem Cornwall ticks all the boxes.”
Only Versammy Permaul has taken more wickets than the 63 that Cornwall has taken in the last three domestic seasons.
If he can stay up top of the wickets column in 2023, it will be interesting to see if he does get his opportunity later in the year when the Indians tour the Caribbean in July.
'Still England's best bowler' – Australia's Lyon stunned by Anderson retirement
James Anderson retiring from Test cricket shocked Nathan Lyon as the Australian spinner believes England's veteran would still be their best bowler.
England great Anderson will call time to his storied red-ball career when Brendon McCullum's side host West Indies at Lord's, starting on July 10.
The Lancashire bowler leaves the international scene as England's all-time leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, with 700 dismissals in 187 appearances.
His wicket-taking heroics are the most by any pace bowler in Test history, and Anderson's decision came as welcome news to Ashes rival Lyon.
"Obviously, Jimmy Anderson is in the conversation of being the greatest fast bowler of all time," Lyon told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"Good luck to Jimmy and I look forward to playing with him at Lancashire, but I'm glad he won't be coming out to the next Ashes."
Anderson's hand appeared somewhat forced as England started planning for the future, setting their sights on The Ashes in Australia across late 2025 and into 2026.
By the time that Ashes series arrives, Anderson will be 43.
Owing to Anderson's age, England coach McCullum, managing director Rob Key and captain Ben Stokes, want to test the likes of Brydon Carse, Matthew Potts and Gus Atkinson as pace-bowling options.
With Stuart Broad already announcing his retirement after his last outing against Australia, Lyon could not believe England's decision to let Anderson go.
"My care factor for England is pretty low, but I was pretty surprised when I did read that they tapped him on the shoulder," added Lyon.
"I look at James and what he's been able to do for England cricket, it's pretty remarkable.
"This is just my opinion – I still think he would be England's best bowler."
Windies get major boost in rankings ahead of the T20 World Cup
A thumping 3-0 T20 International series sweep over South Africa propelled West Indies up the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings into fourth place, ahead of the much-anticipated T20 World Cup.
Despite missing a few big faces, West Indies managed to sweep the series, and that along with the rise in rankings should provide a significant boost to the confidence of the Darren Sammy-coached side heading into the June 1-29 showpiece to be hosted in the Caribbean and United States.
With the series win, West Indies (254 rating points), the champions of the 2012 and 2016 editions of the T20 World Cup, are at the fourth place in the list led by 2007 champions India (264 rating points), with 2021 champions Australia (257 rating points) and defending champions England (254 rating points) at the second and third place respectively.
There were individual bright spots for West Indies in the series, who gained substantially in the T20I Player Rankings. This included stand-in skipper Brandon King, whose 159 runs helped him jump up five places to the eighth position in the Men’s T20I Batting Rankings.
His opening partner, Johnson Charles, who hit a blistering 69 from 26 balls in a Player of the Match performance in the third game of the series, gained 17 spots to reach the 20th place.
Meanwhile, Kyle Mayers (31st place in Batting Rankings) and Gudakesh Motie (27th place in Bowling Rankings) were the other beneficiaries from the recently concluded series.
These results bode well for the Men in Maroon, who will be looking for a record third title during their home T20 World Cup. They are placed in Group C along Afghanistan, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Uganda.
They start their campaign against Papua New Guinea in Guyana on Sunday.
ICC Men's T20I Team Rankings
India -264 points
Australia - 257 points
England - 254 points
West Indies - 252 points
New Zealand - 250 points
Second washout stops England and Pakistan's T20 World Cup preparation
For the second time this series, England and Pakistan saw a game abandoned due to rain, this time at Sophia Gardens on Tuesday.
After their opening game at Headingley was washed out, the teams endured another frustrating day in Cardiff as the umpires called off the third match without a single bowl being bowled.
England’s 23-run victory at Edgbaston on Saturday means they have an unassailable 1-0 lead in the series.
However, Pakistan have one last chance to level things at The Oval on Thursday before both teams head off to the United States for the T20I World Cup in June.
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