New Delhi: West Indies has announced its Test squad for the upcoming home series against India with uncapped all-rounder Rahkeem Cornwall in the 13-member squad. Known as cricket’s “mountain man” – at 6’6” and weighing around 140 kg – Cornwall, 26, will be the heaviest man to play international cricket after former Australian cricketer Warwick Armstrong, who weighed nearly the same.
While good health is undoubtedly a prerequisite for athletes, over the years, many cricketers have proved that weight is not always an indicator of sports fitness. Some great players such as Arjuna Ranatunga, Shane Warne, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Bishen Singh Bedi were considered to have been portly.
ThePrint takes a look at some of the heaviest cricketers, counting both who have played international cricket and the ones who did not.
Rahkeem Cornwall: Cornwall rose to fame when in a tour game against India in 2017 he took five wickets, including that of India’s three main Test batsmen – Cheteshwar Pujara, Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane. In 55 first-class matches, Cornwall has scored 2,224 runs at an average of 24.43, and took 260 wickets.
Warwick Armstrong: A former Australian captain, Armstrong was nick-named “big ship” for his physical presence. At his heaviest, he weighed 140 kg but this never came in the way of his stupendous performances on the cricket field. An all-rounder, Armstrong played 50 Tests between 1902-1921, accumulating 2,863 runs at an average of 38.68. He also took 87 wickets in these matches.
Richie Kaschula: A remarkable player in Zimbabwe’s domestic cricket, Kaschula weighed 127 kg during his first-class career in the 1970s and early ’80s. A left-arm spinner, Kaschula later also served as a national selector, played 48 first-class matches and took 196 wickets.
Dwayne Leverock: Perhaps no Indian cricket fan can forget the diving catch that Leverock, at 127 kg, took to dismiss Robin Uthappa in the 2007 World Cup. A left-arm spinner from Bermuda, Leverock played 32 ODIs and two T20s, taking 34 wickets in the former and none in the latter. Remembering that catch some years later, Leverock had said, “I just dived to my right and got the ball in my hand. I got up and ran off to celebrate and the rest of the team joined me”.
Colin Milburn: A talented English batsman whose career was cut short by an accident in which he lost one eye, Milburn weighed 114 kg. Fondly called Ollie, Milburn unfortunately could play just nine Tests between 1966 to 1969, in which he scored 654 runs at an average of 46.71.
Apart from these, perhaps the most famous heavyweight cricketer of recent times has been Pakistan’s Inzamam-ul-Haq. Haq, who weighed 103.5 kg before the 2003 World Cup, lost approximately 10.5 kgs (23 pounds), to prepare for the matches.
Somewhat infamous for his frequent run-outs, Haq always made up for it with the amount of runs that he scored. Playing international cricket between 1991-2007, he scored 8,830 runs at an impressive average of 49.60 in 120 Tests. He performed well in ODIs too, accumulating 11,739 runs at an average of 39.52 in 378 ODIs.
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