Star Allrounder Andre Russell has ascribed the current West Indian Coach on planning his return to International cricket after 2 years. The Senior Allrounder Andre Russell who played his first International game after the T20 World Cup 2021 has shown his all-round prowess and helped West Indies clinch a victory in the game against England.
After winning a game for his country the swashbuckling allrounder Andre Russell has expressed his contentment on being able to wear the West Indian jersey again. The Allrounder took 3 wickets bowling first in the first T20I against England conceding just 19 runs and came back to score 29 runs off just 14 balls to seal the victory for the West Indies.
I am here to play cricket and I am just happy- Andre Russell
Addressing the media after the game, the 35-year-old said that they knew the quality of the England spinners and wanted to restrict them to a low total to have an edge. As mentioned by ESPNCricinfo, the Allrounder stated,
“Sammy mentioned that once I do what I have to do in the CPL he will definitely mention my name in the selection. And I had my fingers crossed… I’m here to play cricket and I’m just happy I can be wearing this crest on my chest,”
The Star allrounder added,
“I was excited to see all the guys there trying to make sure the plan that we discussed in the huddle came out. And it’s good to pull it back from a high-scoring game to 170 [171]. We know how good the quality of England’s spinners are and their [other] bowlers, so it was good to actually restrict them and have some cushion and comfort,”
Andre Russell has not been at his fluent best in recent years and has had his share of injuries. The Allrounder finished the Caribbean Premier League(CPL) 2023 with 145 runs in 11 matches at an impressive strike rate of 161.11 and also picked 11 wickets at 21.09.
It all depends on how the World Cup goes for me- Andre Russell on his Retirement
Andre Russell gave signs on his retirement plans saying that he is likely to end his Interntanional career following the T20 World Cup in June 2024. However, he added that he will be back whenever they need him. The Jamaican has said,
“It all depends on how the World Cup goes for me. I still have a lot left in the tank. But, you know, based on discussions with the coach, I told him that after the World Cup, I would walk away from international cricket, but if they need me, I will come out of retirement,”
Russell added,
“That’s the plan that I have, there are so many young talents here, all around us, similar to myself. Sometimes you realize that you’re going into 36, you know, just give the youngsters the opportunity. And if West Indies should still need me, I would be willing to put in the hard yards for them,”
The Allrounder is currently part of the T20I squad facing England. The second T20I is set to be played on Thursday 14 December.