PSL

Despite mental health struggles, Andre Russell vows to lift Quetta Gladiators from floor of PSL table

By June 03, 2021

Despite admitting that life inside consecutive bubbles has taken a toll on him mentally, Jamaican all-rounder Andre Russell has vowed to do all he can to lift the Quetta Gladiators once the Pakistan Super League T20 competition resumes on June 9.

The Gladiators are currently at the bottom of the six-team table on two points from the five games they played before the tournament was suspended after just 15 games in March following a rash of Covid-19 infections within the tournament bubble.

“Obviously, my target is to do the best I can to contribute to the team in whatever way I can, whether it is with the bat or with the ball or in the field," said Russell during an interview with Geo News.

"I'm actually excited to be taking part in this tournament. I should contribute in whatever way. I won't get that sweet joy of lifting the cup with them, but I will know why they should bid towards that. And when you get a winning momentum, it is just confidence after confidence and from game to game, you feel untouchable as a team so once you're doing well, you will know what to do to win again."

Notwithstanding his intention to help the team, Russell admitted he was struggling to live in yet another bubble during the 18-month-old pandemic.

“I think it's taking a toll on myself. I can't talk for any other player, of any other coaches or anyone that go through this whole quarantine stuff. But it's definitely taken a toll on me mentally because from bubble to bubble, in a room locked in, you can’t go out for a walk, you can’t go certain places, you can't socialize, it's different," he said.

"But at the end of the day, I'm not being ungrateful, I'm grateful that we're still playing, we're still doing our job. So it's tough for us. But even though we prepared for it, it still takes a toll.”

Russell was previously in a bubble while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League that was suspended in early May following a rise in the numbers of players and support staff infected by the virus inside the bio-secure bubble.

Leighton Levy

Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.

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