Jamaica Tallawahs coach Donovan Miller says the Jamaica Tallawahs must turn things around quickly if they are to avoid losing their fourth straight match when they play the in-form Trinbago Knight Riders at Sabina Park tonight (September 13).

St Lucia Zouks secured an impressive first victory of their 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League (CPL) campaign on a night marred by a nasty-looking injury for Jamaica Tallawahs’ star all-rounder Andre Russell.

St Lucia Zouks skipper Darren Sammy is hoping that his new-look charges will get it right quickly despite a dismal start to their 2019 Hero Caribbean Premier League campaign featuring a 13-run loss to the Guyana Amazon Warriors on Thursday.

Sammy oversaw a game his team should have won. After restricting the Amazon warriors to 159-9, at 82-4, were well ahead of the run rate but gave the game away through injudicious shot making to end at 142-9.

“I think we gave them too many runs in the back end but the way [Rahkeem] Cornwall batted, we were well ahead but we didn’t play smart cricket,” said Sammy. “We kept losing wickets at different times and that cost us the game.”

Despite the all-too familiar sight of a Zouks team losing when they should have won, Sammy sees a lot of positives and believes, the side, which recently changed ownership after the CPL fell out with the previous owners just prior to the start of the competition, can come good.

“I think the first 16 overs of the match, the way the bowlers bowled was commendable. Young Obed [McCoy] taking wickets. With the bat, the way Cornwall went out and played his role was also good,” he said.

With those positives in mind, Sammy believes the team can give a better account of themselves when they next play.

“Look it is the first game of the tournament. Over the weekend we got Trinidad, so hopefully we can go out there and put in a better performance,” said a hopeful Sammy.

According to the former West Indies captain, winner of two T20 World Cups, the loss won’t mean changes to the Zouks line-up because he is happy with what he sees.

“Before the tournament started I was quite happy with the guys in the dressing room. It’s about gelling quickly. Today we lost the game. We had it and we let it slip away. So when the pressure situations come again, we just have to handle it better,” he said.

The team he sees before him, is more than capable of making those changes

“I have full confidence in the guys in the dressing room and I’m looking forward to Sunday’s game.”  

Windies skipper Jason Holder was adamant he had no issues with the team’s selection, despite a 318-run mauling at the hands of India in the first Test.

Ahead of the series, the omission of spinner Rahkeem Cornwall had furrowed the brows of several fans and pundits alike, following a string of impressive performances at the regional and A-team level.  Some took exception to the inclusion of pace bowler Miguel Cummings, at the expense of the all-rounder Cornwall who they believed could have troubled the Indian line-up.

Holder, however, insisted that there was no issue with the decision to include four fast bowlers in the team’s line-up, which had proven fruitful in a recent series.

 "No, I think team selection was good. We had won the first series early in this year with four fast bowlers and it worked for us,”

“It was difficult for me to change the winning bowling combination. It is a matter of time, sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't."

West Indies will now face India in the second Test of the series at Sabina Park in Kingston from August 30.

Regional all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall is confident of making an impact for the West Indies in the Test format, having performed consistently at the four-day format for several seasons.

The selection of the 26-year-old Cornwall raised a few brows earlier this month, as many doubt the athlete’s physical conditioning for the longest format. 

Regionally, however, there is very little doubting Cornwall’s record.  The all-rounder was the leading wicket-taker, with 54, in last season’s regional first-class tournament and followed that up with a haul of 23 wickets in List A and first-class games against England Lions earlier in 2018.  In the recent series against the touring India A, Cornwall took an impressive nine wickets in six matches.

"I believe the Test format suits my game because of the consistency a player needs over a long period of time to be successful, and I've enjoyed that challenge so far in my career playing first-class cricket," Cornwall told the Cricket West Indies website.

"The feeling [on getting called up] is great - it's something I've been pushing to achieve for a long time,” he added.

"I've been putting in a lot of work over the last couple of months. I've always pushed myself. I feel I can go on and I think the on-field results I've achieved have shown the progress I'm making."

If selected, Cornwall could make his debut against India when the series bowls off at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Thursday.

West Indies A all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall is harbouring hopes of breaking into the regional side in the near future after being selected for an A team to face India A next month. 

  Windies all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall has once again launched a bid to improve upon his fitness, generally regarded as a major stumbling block to this inclusion in the senior team.

The 26-year Antiguan native is yet to receive a call to Windies squad, despite consistently performing well at both the regional and Windies A level.  In the most recent Regional Super50 competition, Cornwall took 54 wickets in nine matches at 17.68 apiece to be crowned the competition’s top bowler. 

The Leeward Islands Hurricanes talisman has also dominated at the West Indies A level on both home and overseas tours and currently boasts 256 first-class wickets at an average of 23.

Standing at an estimated 6’5 tall and close to 300 pounds, Cornwall has made several attempts to improve on his overall fitness but is seemingly yet to make any significant progress on achieving the required fitness level.  Cornwall is, however, hoping his latest stint with noted trainer Ronald Rogers will pay dividends.

“Training-wise, I am trying to get as fit as I can because I think I am preparing for India,” Cornwall told the Antigua Observer.

“It’s nothing in terms of getting to a particular weight but just to see how far I can get as quickly as possible between now and June,” he added.

The Windies are expected to host India during a full tour scheduled for June.

“It is something that I am up for and something I am happy about so it’s just up to me now to put in the work.”

Veteran batsman Devon Smith and all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall, who were the top individual performers during the recently concluded West Indies Championships, were among several players recognised for their achievements during the season.

The Leeward Islands Hurricanes have a 195-run lead on the Trinidad and Tobago Red Force heading into the final day of their West Indies Championship game at Warner Park on Sunday. 

A five-for from Rahkeem Cornwall handed the Leeward Islands Hurricanes a narrow 12-run win over the Windwards Volcanoes in a close encounter at Windsor Park.

Beginning the day in pursuit of 231, with 10 wickets in hand, the Windwards were in early trouble after Roland Cato (9) and the typically reliable Devon Smith (20) departed in the space of two overs.  Cato was dismissed Nelson Bolan, caught by Jahmar Hamilton and Smith caught and bowled by Sheno Berridge for 20.

A steady partnership between Kavem Hodge and Sunil Ambris, however, stopped the early rot as the pair put on 103 for the third wicket.

The partnership would, however, be broken when Cornwall accounted for Hodge, who had made 65 from 78 balls.

 The spinner then went on to rip through the rest of the middle and lower order, removing Alick Athanaze(8), Dennis Smith (1) Larry Cornwall (0) and Josh Thomas (0) for a combined 9 runs.

The stubborn Ambris was, however, not finished as he put on 70 runs for the 6^th wicket with Ray Jordan (19) to get the team within touching distance.  After Jordan was caught by Devon Thomas off the bowling of  Quinton Boatswain, Ambris would simply run out of partners as the team was dismissed for 228.

The Jamaica Scorpions are 65 runs away from their second win on the trot in their West Indies Championship match against the Leeward Islands Hurricanes being played at Warner Park in St Kitts. 

A four-wicket haul from burly spinner Rahkeem Cornwall has given Leeward Islands Hurricane a fighting chance but they will have plenty of work to do to get a result against the Guyana Jaguars in the West Indies Championship at Providence Stadium.

At stumps on day three the Hurricanes were 32 for one, needing a further 259 to topple the defending champion Jaguars.  The Guyana based team seemed poised for a massive target after dismissing the Leewards for 175 in their first response, still some 21 runs short of the first innings total of 196.

At 50 for 0 the Jaguars seemed well on their way to compiling an unassailable target but Cornwall had other ideas.  Adding to the wickets of Trevon Griffith and Leon Johnson who he dismissed in the last hour of play on the previous day, Cornwall then accounted for the seemingly settled Tagenarine Chanderpaul who was dismissed for 40 off 170 balls. 

The wicket of Anthony Bramble was then added to the heap as he was dismissed lbw in Cornwall’s very next over to leave the Jaguars rattled at 5 for 136.  A seventh-wicket stand between Clinton Pestado (46) and Keemo Paul (22) settled things somewhat as the pair combined were worth 57. 

The partnership was broken when Paul was dismissed by Sheno Berridge and Cornwall returned to account for Pestado.  The spinner ended the innings with overall figures of 6 for 70.

In reply, the Leewards Kieran Powell was dismissed for 7 when he was bowled by Paul.  Motcin Hodge and Keacy Carty will return as the not out batsmen.

Rahkeem Cornwall’s four-wicket haul and three from Damion Jacobs reduced defending champions Guyana Jaguars to 196 all over during Thursday’s first day of round four of the West Indies Championships at Providence.