Just when you thought 2020 could not get even more bizarre, an unlikely new role model emerges to give everyone hope.
Many sportspeople will be remembered for playing their part in a historic year, with the likes of Marcus Rashford making the headlines for all the right reasons during a period of our lives nobody is likely to forget.
But as – thankfully – sport gets back in the swing, there is another name making the news for different reasons.
At the beginning of the year, Rahkeem Cornwall was relatively unknown outside of the West Indies. But that’s certainly not the case any more, with his rapid rise to fame helping a new out-of-shape generation have faith that they can reach the big time.
For years now we have all assumed to have any hope of making it in professional sport you need to be not only supremely talented, but also amazingly fit with a body capable of standing up to the rigours of intense competition.
Clearly this remains the case in sports such as football, rugby and athletics – but suddenly cricketers can look at things differently.
Cornwall is 27, has a century to his name and more than 300 first-class as well as proving to be an excellent slip fielder. But it is because he is 6ft 6ins and weighs in at 22 stone which has propelled him to iconic status after just one Test match in England.
You just don’t see professional sportspeople looking like him nowadays. Without stating the obvious, Cornwall would surely be an even better cricketer if he was leaner, fitter and more agile. However, the fact remains, he has made it to the very top of his sport with a body that is not the norm in professional sports like cricket.
There’s no escaping that his appearance has the ability to inspire talented club cricketers, who are slightly out of shape, to keep the faith. There is now hope for anyone. And with the lack of cream teas between innings at present, things are already looking up!
