Andre Russell could be last-minute decision to start against England on Saturday

By October 22, 2021

Andre Russell could be a game-time decision for the West Indies as they get ready for their opening match in the ICC T20 World Cup in Dubai on Saturday.

Russell, 33, suffered a grade-two hamstring tear in late September playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders against Chennai Super Kings in the latter stages of the Indian Premier League (IPL). He missed their final two matches as well as the playoffs as the Kolkata Knight Riders advanced to the final where they lost to CSK.

Russell missed the West Indies first warm-up game against Pakistan a week ago but bowled a couple overs in the second warm-up game on Thursday against Afghanistan that the defending champions lost by 56 runs.

Asked whether the mercurial Jamaican all-rounder would be fit enough to start against England on Saturday, West Indies captain Kieron Pollard said they would have to wait and see.

“As of right now, we have our last practice session this afternoon and will have a last look and see," Pollard said during a media conference from Dubai on Friday ahead of the team’s final practice session.

"If we're confident for him to take the field... he played in that warm-up game a couple of days ago and it was just like a trial for him because he hasn't played a cricket match in about three-four weeks, so there's still some rust there for him, still needed to be a bit confident in his mind,” Pollard said.

“But I'm sure even yesterday and a couple of days before that, he's been working tirelessly behind the scenes to be fit.

“So, let's see what transpires in this last session, but with that being said, I think as a team we're clear in our mind which direction we will want to go as opposed to not being clear and just waiting on that individual to decide or decide his fitness from a medical point of view."

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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