The 31-year-old Jamaica has been largely criticized for declining to join the West Indies team with former fast bowler Sir Curtly Ambrose questioning the player’s commitment to the regional side.
Russell had initially declined the invitation to represent the West Indies in New Zealand citing the need to be free of the Covid-19 lockdown protocols he had to endure during the 2020 Hero CPL season in Trinidad and Tobago, and the subsequent IPL season in Abu Dhabi.
However, shortly thereafter it was reported that Russell had signed for the Colombo Kings in Sir Lanka’s T20 Premier League (LPL).
His actions triggered the ire of many fans across the region as well as West Indies fast bowling great Sir Curtly Ambrose.
“Because he wants to clear his head for a while to get his mind together, I have no problem with that because cricket is a high-pressure game. So if you want to clear your head for a while, take your mind off cricket I have no issues with that, but if you are going to reject playing for your nation, your country, and then two weeks later you’re playing for somebody else, that to me is a no-no,” Ambrose said during a recent conversation on the Mason&Guest radio show in Barbados.
“Where is the commitment? That tells me that you don’t want to play for the West Indies. If that is the case, just say so.”
However, while speaking on the Sportsmax Zone on Tuesday, Russell explained why he ended up playing in Sri Lanka while the West Indies were losing their series 2-0 in New Zealand. He claimed the pressure of living in the bubble was too much.
"I changed my stance. I changed my technique. I changed my trigger movement, all of these things I changed just to score runs in IPL and nothing was going my way. The pressure was real," Russell said, who failed to live up to expectation in both leagues. “Playing cricket in a bubble and you're not performing, it can really take a toll.”
He said he had conversations with Shimron Hetmyer and Keemo Paul, who explained that after the initial 14-day quarantine in New Zealand, the restrictions would have been relaxed. It was after that conversation that he said he approached the selectors but by then it was too late.
After his missed opportunity to join the West Indies squad, Russell said he received a text message from Angelo Matthews while he was in Dubai asking him to play for the Colombo Kings. He said he accepted the offer adding that the time off he spent in Dubai helped give him the mental strength to go back into a bubble.
In the second game of the campaign for the Kolkatta Knight Riders, Russell cleaned up the Mumbai Indians' tail for career-best figures of 5-15. In the same match, however, the player was unable to finish the job with the bat as the Knight Riders slumped to a dramatic 10-run defeat as Russell added 9 from 15.
Vaughan pointed to the batsman’s work in the field and running between the crease as evidence the big hitter is not quite at his best.
“You got a player like Andre Russell, who has been a superstar, but on the field, when the ball is coming to him, he is always using his feet. He is obviously someone who cannot go down. It’s a very clever and careful aspect which Eoin Morgan will have to manage,” Vaughan told Cricbuzz.
“When he (Andre Russell) is at his best, he is great. But when you see him on the field, and when is bowling, he appears to be struggling. While batting he is not taking the twos,” he added.
“He needed to take the twos in the 19th over. Because you want him back on strike. Very difficult to manage for Brendon McCullum and Eoin Morgan.”
The Knight Riders have won 1 of their first 3 matches.
Chasing 157 for a win, KKR ended their innings at 148 for 8, with the run of the destructive Russell finally coming to an end with the second ball of the final over.
The batsman had entered the innings with the team needing 77, with just 8 overs remaining, and immediately smashed Yash Dayal for back-to-back sixes. In total, Russell hammered six, sixes for a late 25-ball 48, which brought the team to needing 18 from the final over. Facing international teammate Alzarri Joseph, he smashed the first ball for a six, but it was Joseph who had the last laugh when the rampaging batsman was gobbled up by Lockie Ferguson on the very next delivery.
Prior to that, Russell had put in an even more impressive cameo with the ball. With the 20th to be bowled and the Titans potentially poised for a big score, on 151 for 5, KKR captain Iyer Shreyas turned to Russell for the first time in the match.
Russell's amazing last over brought the Knights right back into contention. The West Indies all-rounder conceded just five runs off that final over and picked up four wickets, with Rinku Singh picking up three of those catches. The bowler’s 4 for 5 in 1 over was the best ever for one over in IPL history.
For the Titans, Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan, and Dayal took two wickets each, with Alzarri Joseph and Ferguson getting one each. Veteran India pacer Shami bowled a destructive opening spell, taking the wickets of new opening pair of Sam Billings (4) and Sunil Narine (5) to reduce KKR to 2 for 10 in the third over.
The 35-year-old all-rounder has played for KKR since 2014, when he helped them win the IPL title.
Since that time, Russell, who last played for the West Indies during the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021, has declined several opportunities to represent the regional team often citing health issues relating to long-term knee injuries.
During a recent interview on Star Sports in India, Russell said KKR makes him feel special for everything that Kolkata-based franchise did for him to get treatment done on his knees.
"Where I was, a few years ago, KKR actually make things happen for me where they send me to get proper treatments on my knees,” Russell said.
“That's something special to me to be honest. No other franchise or even my country never really invest that much on me."
Russell added that he feels at home at KKR.
"I'm happy here. I don't see any other franchise I would love to be a part of in this tournament because I've been here for about nine years now. Been here for so many years, I meet these guys, get closer to them every year," he said.
Russell's explosive innings turned the tide for Kolkata Knight Riders after a shaky start, propelling them to a formidable total of 208 for 7. After a slow start, Russell unleashed his power-hitting prowess, smashing seven sixes in his unbeaten 64 off just 25 balls. His innings proved instrumental in KKR's recovery from 123 for 6, providing the late surge that propelled them past the 200-run mark.
However, Sunrisers Hyderabad mounted a spirited chase, with Heinrich Klaasen leading the charge with a valiant innings of 63 runs. Klaasen's assault threatened to snatch victory away from KKR, but Harshit Rana's composed bowling in the final over ensured Kolkata's triumph in a last-ball thriller.
Russell took 2-25.
Sunil Narine's economical spell and crucial breakthroughs kept Sunrisers in check during the middle overs, setting the stage for Kolkata's dramatic victory. Despite a fierce fightback from Sunrisers, Kolkata Knight Riders held their nerve to secure a crucial win in the IPL.
Twin 32s from Mayank Agarwal and Abhishek Sharma provided Sunrisers with a solid start, but Russell's brilliance with both bat and ball proved decisive in Kolkata's triumph. With his explosive batting display and impactful bowling, Andre Russell emerged as the hero of the match, guiding Kolkata Knight Riders to a thrilling victory over Sunrisers Hyderabad in a contest that will be remembered for its pulsating finish.
Mumbai's innings began with a blazing start from Rohit Sharma and Ishan Kishan, who put on an impressive 80-run partnership in just seven overs. Rohit, in particular, was in devastating form, dispatching the Capitals' bowlers to all parts of the ground. He accelerated rapidly, hitting boundaries at will and setting the tone for Mumbai's innings.
As the Capitals looked to regain control with spinners, Rohit continued his onslaught, unfazed by the change in bowling attack. His aggressive strokeplay kept Mumbai's scoreboard ticking at a rapid pace, pushing them to 75 for no loss after six overs.
While Rohit fell just short of a half-century, contributions from Kishan and later Tim David (45* off 21) and Romario Shepherd (39* off 10) propelled Mumbai to a daunting total. Shepherd's heroics in the final over, particularly against Nortje, turned the tide firmly in Mumbai's favor and provided crucial momentum heading into the second innings.
In response, Delhi Capitals fought bravely, led by Prithvi Shaw's attacking 66 off 40 balls and a sensational unbeaten 71 from Tristan Stubbs. Shaw's aggressive approach and Stubbs' late onslaught kept the Capitals in contention, but Mumbai's total proved too challenging to chase down.
Despite the Capitals' spirited efforts, the 20th over of Mumbai's innings, where Romario Shepherd unleashed a flurry of boundaries against Nortje, emerged as the decisive moment of the match. Shepherd's exceptional hitting display not only boosted Mumbai's total significantly but also injected momentum and confidence into the team.
Orin Rutherford, 58, died Thursday, after testing positive for the Covid-19 virus on September 5. He was being treated at the Intensive Care Unit of the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Liliendaal Hospital in Georgetown. He was reportedly unvaccinated.
"The SRH family conveys its heartfelt condolences to Sherfane Rutherford and his family on the passing away of his father. Sherfane will be leaving the IPL bio-bubble to be with his family in this difficult hour," SRH posted on Twitter.
Following a successful season with newly-crowned Caribbean Premier League champions St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, Rutherford was looking forward to his maiden season with SRH.
It always feels good to come to a new franchise. It’s always good coming to something new. I look to learn, gather as much information as I can to work on my game and in the best way I can to help the team,” he said shortly after his arrival in India.
Rutherford, who almost inexplicably missed on being selected to represent the West Indies at next month’s ICC T20 World Cup, was called up by SRH to replace England’s Jonny Bairstow.
He last played in the IPL for Delhi Capitals in 2019.
“Growing up I always watched the IPL. It has been a dream to be here. I have done a lot of work for that and I am grateful to play in this tournament,” said the Punjab Kings man in an interview with Cricketnext.
The 25-year-old Smith, who has played five ODIs and 10 T20Is for the West Indies, was man of the match in his first game after smashing 25 not out off just eight balls to help the Kings chase down 205 against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. He had a poor outing with the ball conceding 52 off his four overs.
“It’s a good feeling. I was happy that I contributed to that first win for my team. Personally, I have a lot of stuff to work on in terms of my bowling as I consider myself as a bowling all-rounder. The sole purpose of everyone in the team was to win the first game and we did that,” he said.
Smith has taken two wickets and scored 37 runs in three matches so far for the Kings who have two wins and one loss.
The 37-year-old Bravo, who recently set the milestone of claiming 500 T20 wickets in this season’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), picked up a knee injury that delayed the start of his India Premier League (IPL) campaign. Bravo started the IPL four games late but found himself sidelined a few games later, this time with a groin injury.
The injury led to Bravo being ruled out of the team’s tour to New Zealand. The player’s previous CPL season had also been hampered after he suffered a broken finger. While admitting it is a source of concern, Simmons has assured the player will remain in the minds of the selectors once he can recover sufficiently.
“It’s a concern because he was injured in CPL and now he’s injured in IPL,” Simmons told members of the media via a Zoom press conference call from the team’s training camp in New Zealand.
“There’s a break now, so he will go home and do what is necessary for him to be fit enough to play and there are a few series and also another IPL before the World Cup. So, there’s a lot of chance for him to go and get himself fit and we will see what his fitness is like heading into the tournament.”
Holder was involved in four dismissals as SRH restricted the Royals to 154 for 6. He ran out opener Robin Uthappa for 19 and later bowled the dangerous Sanju Samson for 36. In his final over spell, he took the wickets of Steven Smith for 19 and Riyan Parag for 20 to return impressive figures of 3 for 33.
Manish Panday’s unbeaten 47-ball 83 and Vijay Shankar, who was not out on a patient 52, then posted a 140-run stand to take SRH home with 11 balls to spare.
Afterwards, a pleased SRH Captain David Warner said it all started with the bowling.
"It was a stunning performance. We were able to bring them back after Powerplay. All in all, the kind of game we were asking for,” he said while singling out the West Indies captain Holder for special praise.
“Jason adds an extra string to our bow. His height. His experience. And he couldn't bat today, but he is an all-round package,” said Warner of the Barbadian allrounder, who was called up in September to replace Australian Mitchell Marsh who suffered an ankle injury in SRH’s first match of the season during a loss to the Royal Challengers Bangalore.
MI restricted CSK to 114 for 9, a total largely due to a defiant 52 from all-rounder Sam Curran. Trent Boult took career-best figures of 4 for 18 and Jasprit Bumrah and Rahul Chahar each took two wickets to destroy CSK’s batting. Pollard bowled one over for four runs.
Requiring a run-rate of less than six runs an over, Player of the Match Ishan Khan smashed an unbeaten 37-ball 68 and Quinton de Kock, a 37-ball 46, in an unbroken stand of 116 to take MI to a historic 10-wicket victory.
It was the first time CSK had been beaten by 10 wickets since the IPL began in 2008.
Pollard, who assumed duties as captain after Rohit Sharma was sidelined by a hamstring injury, praised his team’s performance.
“We wanted to bowl them out under 100 but Sam batted well. I think it was a total team effort. Two-three wickets early put you in the game and to get 4-5 is fantastic. And then the openers going out and finishing off and not leaving any uncertainty was good,” Pollard said during his post-game interview.
He indicated that MI has a specific goal in mind as they aim for a fifth IPL title.
“We want to finish top two and it's a matter of getting the points and then think about the opponents,” he said indicating that the team wants to play even better.
“There's always room for improvement, myself making some mistakes on the field, guys not being aware in certain situations. Maybe it's not technical, but it's things you need to speak about.”
Asked if he enjoyed being captain, Pollard, who earlier this year led the Trinbago Knight Riders to their fourth CPL title said: “Sometimes you don't actually have to be a leader to be a leader, I know a thing or two. So it was just a matter of me stepping in and it came off tonight. It was just matter of making right decisions, not giving them freebies.”
"I appreciate it has been over four years since I last played for West Indies but today I am announcing my retirement from international cricket," said the 35-year-old Narine who last played for the West Indies in 2019.
“Publicly I am a man of few words but privately there are a few people who have given me unwavering support throughout my career and helped me realize my dream of representing West Indies and to you I express my deepest gratitude."
Notwithstanding the announcement, Narine said he will end his international career by winning the ongoing Super50 league for the Trinbago Red Force. "I love representing Trinidad & Tobago, the country of my birth, and to add another title by winning the Super50 Cup will be the perfect send-off," he said.
Narine played 122 international matches, which included six Tests, 65 ODIs and 51 T20Is and was a member of the West Indies team that won the T20 World Cup in 2012. He has played for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League since 2012.
He will continue to play for KKR in the IPL, Abu Dhabi in the International League T20, Trinbago in the Caribbean Premier League and Los Angeles in Major League Cricket. He is also part of the Hundred men's competition with Oval Invincibles and also plays in the Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League and Bangladesh Premier League.
KKR are currently eighth in the IPL standings after just two wins from their seven matches to date, a position that Gavaskar believes comes down to one thing.
"To be honest, they don’t have too many classy batsmen. I don’t know how many in the dugout they can look to and say, ‘Look… why don’t you come in and bat up the order.’ Because if you have a look at their batting, apart from Shubman Gill and Morgan himself, there is no class," Gavaskar said on Cricket Connected.
"There is Andre Russell down at five or six and Dinesh Karthik,” Gavaskar continued.
“I would look at promoting Karthik up the order, because for simple reasons. There is Rahul Tripathi up. Sunil Narine at 4 or 5 whatever is a waste of space. It doesn’t make any sense having him there. If you want to have Sunil Narine, have him at the top of the order where he can throw his bat around, and maybe if he connects a few, that’s fine.
“KKR’s problem is that they haven’t got anybody at three, four, five who can play an impact innings."
The 36-year-old Bravo reported to the Super Kings IPL camp in Dubai with a knee injury, which he picked up during the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) earlier this month. The player has, however, since been cleared to return to the line-up but based on an agreement with the management team the West Indian will not be back in the lineup early.
So far, the Super Kings have already played three IPL games. In Bravo’s absence, Englishman Sam Curran has been performing the overseas allrounder's job well, for the moment.
Bravo made history during last month’s CPL after becoming the first player in history to take 500 T20 wickets. In addition, his Trinbago Knight Riders captured a fourth title on the back of an unbeaten season. Bravo, who leads the CPL with most wickets taken, is currently 5th on the list of most career wickets in the IPL with 147. The list is topped by Sri Lanka’s Lasith Malinga who has claimed 172. The West Indian, however, tops the list for most wickets claimed in a tournament, with 32, a feat he accomplished during the 2013 edition.
Former England batsman Roland Butcher does not believe West Indies Test cricket captain Jason Holder should be recalled to the T20 squad, despite several recent creditable performances in the format.
The all-rounder last represented the regional team in the shortest format of the game in India last year. Since the resumption of cricket, however, the player has put in a few notable T20 performances. In the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Holder was the Barbados Tridents' third-highest scorer with 192 runs in 10 matches and had a high score of 69. He also made an impact with the ball after claiming 10 wickets, the second-most on the team.
Despite not being initially drafted to the Indian Premier League (IPL), Holder was called up to replace Mitchell Marsh by Sunrisers Hyderabad. In three matches he has managed to claim six wickets so far. Albeit being currently just outside of the playoff spots, the Sunrisers are still in contention with a handful of games to go. The player has, however, not been included in the T20 squad to face New Zealand next month, which Butcher insists is the right call, at this point in time.
“I think Jason, based on his performance in the CPL, could have come in for some consideration, but again, I wouldn’t want to burden Jason, with all the different disciplines he has to play already,” Butcher told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“He’s doing well as Test captain. He’s an integral part of the 50-over side as a player. Why would you want to go and force T20 on him at this point in time? He’s one of our player’s that’s performing so why would we want to overload him so that he doesn’t perform.”
The 41-year-old big-hitter had been tipped to return to the line-up last week but instead ended up in the hospital after a bout of food poisoning. It seems, Gayle, the record T20 runs scorer will finally step on to the pitch to face Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Thursday.
"To all the fans out there, the wait is over. The Universe Boss is back. I know you all have been waiting for such a long time and the wait is over," Gayle said in a video posted on KXIP's official Twitter handle.
It will be difficult circumstances that will great the player, with Kings XI having lost six of its first seven games. The results leave them firmly rooted to the bottom of the table, with very little hopes of making it to the playoffs. Gayle, however, encouraged fans to have hope.
"Unless something drastic happens to the Universe Boss again, which I hope not. You know it's still possible. I know we are at the bottom of the table but it is still possible," he added.
"Seven games to go, we believe we can win all seven it is still possible. I urge each and every one of the guys to still have that self-belief as I said, the only way we can go is up is only up from here. So, we gonna do it, we can do it.”
Last season, Pooran lit up the tournament as one of the competition’s most in-form players, scoring an impressive 353 runs in 14 games, with an average of 35. He clearly has not started this campaign at a similar pace.
In four matches so far, the batsman has scored just nine runs, and that was in one match. In the others, he has left the crease much too quickly to trouble the tally.
In addition to just the wretched run of form, however, some fans have poked fun at the order of the player’s scoreless dismissals.
He was dismissed for a two balls duck against the Rajasthan Royals in his side's first game. He was then out for a first-ball duck against the Chennai Super Kings. On Wednesday, Pooran got out for a diamond duck, without even facing a ball as he was run out as soon as he came to the crease. Punjab Kings XI, who could muster only 120 runs in their 20 overs, lost the match by eight wickets and have recorded one win in their first four games.
The 41-year-old T20 superstar is yet to make an appearance for Kings XI who are off to a slow start to the IPL season. After 5 games, the team sits at the bottom of the table with just one win and four losses. The team has, however, so far not necessarily struggled with batting, having scored over 200 in two of the five games.
Jaffer, however, believes that Gayle’s match-winning capabilities could yet help the team turn their poor form around.
“It should happen soon. As I said, it needs to happen sooner than later. We don’t want to bring them when every game is a must-win game. Hopefully, we will have those guys featuring soon,” Jaffer told news agency Press Trust of India from Dubai.
“Chris looks very much ready and is keen to get on to the park, he has been training really well and has looked really good in the nets,” Wasim Jaffer said.
“He is such an impact player, we all know what he can do. I hope he turns up and turns it on straight away and changes the tide for all of us. He looks hungry and that is a very good sign for the franchise,” he added.
“I am hoping he plays quickly. We need match-winners, as many as possible. Not just for the next game, also for the rest of the tournament as he can easily win you four-five games on his own,” he further said.
The 32-year-old’s choice could be looked upon as quite a reasonable one given his recent struggles, particularly in this season’s Indian Premier League (IPL). According to reports, however, Russell was recently drafted to take part in the Lankan Premier League, which will begin on November 21 and roughly take part at the same time as the team’s tour of New Zealand.
When pressed on the issue, Harper insisted he could not draw any conclusions and could only rely on what he had been told.
“Andre said he needed some time to clear his head. He wasn’t handling a situation very well, that’s what he said. How he chooses to clear his head, I can’t determine that,” Harper told the Mason and Guest radio program.
“I don’t know what decision he has made. Where he is playing or if he is playing. I can only look and see what he had told me and then look at what happens subsequently,” he added.
“He is free to make those decisions. We will look to see what the situation is, how it develops, and take it from there,” Harper said.
“What I will say is that it gives a younger player an opportunity and hopefully that player can make the most of it and really do us proud.”
The West Indies will take on the Netherlands in three ODIs on May 31, June 2 and 4. The team will then travel to Pakistan for three more ODIs on June 8, 10 and 12.
Estwick was speaking at a media conference late last week when he addressed the Hetmyer situation. Hetmyer recently withdrew from Rajasthan Royals in the IPL to travel back to Guyana for the birth of his first child.
Mere days later, he returned to the Royals which will play the Gujarat Titans on Tuesday, May 24 in the first IPL qualifier. However, the explosive Guyanese batsman has not made himself unavailable for the West Indies tours.
Estwick said the West Indies will miss his talents.
"If someone like Hetmyer's not playing, you're obviously going to miss his talent. He's having an outstanding season for Rajasthan Royals. He's doing very, very well. He's playing well,” Estwick said.
“He will be missed, but at the end of the day, he's not there. He's asked not to be selected for this tour so we have to get on without him and we hope that he will make himself available for future tours."
Notwithstanding Hetmyer’s absence, Estwick said he expects the West Indies to win the three ODI series against the Netherlands.
"Our expectation is to win all three ODIs [in the Netherlands] but it's not going to be easy," Estwick said. "Remember, a lot of the players won't have played in conditions like the ones we'll encounter in the Netherlands.
"It's about how quickly we adjust to conditions. We've only got a couple of days' practice before we go into the first ODI so it's all about adjusting and getting used to the conditions and then executing plans as well as possible."
