Andre Russell plays in Global T20 Canada after withdrawal from the first two T20Is against India

Andre Russell, the hulk-like Windies cricketer, has been marred by injuries for quite a while now. He huffed and puffed to play the cash-rich Indian Premier League (IPL) for the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) franchise. Russell was thereafter picked to play in the 2019 World Cup in England and Wales. However, the all-rounder couldn’t stay fit and was ruled out midway throw the mega event.

The Jamaican was recently named in the Windies squad for the three-match T20I series against India, which gets underway on August 3 at Florida, Lauderhill. He cleared the fitness test prior to the squad selection. But a day before the fixtures, the Jamaican pulled out of the series citing discomfort as a reason. A press release from Cricket West Indies (CWI) put forth the development.

The 31-year-old Russell won’t be a part of the first two T20Is and right-handed batsman Jason Mohammed has been called up as his replacement. “We welcome Jason Mohammed into the squad for the first two T20 matches here in Florida. He is a player with lots of experience in all three formats,” West Indies interim head coach Floyd Reifer was quoted as saying.

Russell plays for the Vancouver Knights

In the meantime, amidst all the speculations surrounding his selection, Russell was seen plying his trade in the ongoing Global T20 Canada. He was seen playing for the Vancouver Knights in their last match against the Edmonton Royals at the CAA Centre, Brampton, Ontario. His participation in the T20 league seemingly suggested that he preferred club cricket over his national team.

He didn’t have a great match by any means as he got out for a golden duck to speedster Ben Cutting, though the Knights won by six wickets. Russell didn’t bowl either, maybe due to his long-standing injury concerns. Recently, Carlos Brathwaite, the Windies T20I skipper backed the Jamaican over his injury matters.

“I think he’s been knocked in the press a bit because of his injury woes. And I think it’s easy for us to see him hobbling around the field and just take for granted that he’s injured but we can also look at it on the other side and say he can be home, he could be elsewhere and not trying to play for the West Indies,” said Brathwaite.