I am going to push my body and want to play T20 World Cup 2026: Andre Russell

West Indies international Andre Russell expressed his desire to feature in the T20 World Cup 2026, which India and Sri Lanka will jointly host. The 36-year-old was considering retirement from international cricket after the T20 World Cup 2024 but revealed that a chat with head coach Daren Sammy changed his mind and that he will push his body for the mega tournament.

Notably, Russell is one of the biggest names in the shortest format of the game. He has represented the national team in 82 T20I matches and scored 1033 runs at a strike rate of 163.70. He also has 60 wickets in the format. Speaking about continuing with the national team, Russell stated that there’s immense talent in the Caribbean but he wants to push the youngsters to get better and fight for a place in the squad.

“I’ve talked with Sammy and he said he wants me to keep playing some international cricket. And I think by looking around and seeing the talent that’s in the Caribbean, I think I’m going to push my body and push myself to play international cricket for another two years,” Russell was quoted as saying by Jamaica Gleaner.

“[I] definitely want to play the World Cup of 2026 because there is a lot of talent that you know could have. I could have walked away from the game international-wise, but I just want to see the youngsters do well in terms of all-rounders. I still can hit the ball anywhere I want to hit the ball, still bowling at a good pace, still fit, can move around. I don’t see why I should stop,” he added.

Russell’s current status

The flamboyant all-rounder is currently playing for Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League. His team has managed to win five out of eight matches so far in the competition and has qualified for the playoffs, which will begin on October 1.

Ahead of that, the Kieron Pollard-led side will play Barbados Royals and Guyana Amazon Warriors and if they pick up wins in both matches, they can finish in the top two, which will give them two opportunities to qualify for the final.