Colossus of cricket

The selection of Antiguan off-spinner Rakheem Cornwall to play his first Test for the West Indies against India in August was greeted with an element of curiosity. Who was this giant?

The emphasis was most certainly on "giant"－Cornwall stands at over 2 meters tall (6-foot-6) and weighs over 140 kilograms.

A player of his bulk is rare in cricket and he cuts an unlikely figure as a spin bowler where the stereotype is all wisp and cunning.

But Cornwall is a seriously good cricketer. He took three wickets in the first innings of that Test and then followed up with match figures of 10-111 against Afghanistan in November.

He has guile, rip and supreme control, with his height providing him with extra bounce.

The 26-year-old also has buckets for hands and a broad pair of shoulders that allows him to clatter a cricket ball towards the wicket.