Desk Report,
It seems like it’s time to stop, Russell at the farewell party.
His voice was getting a little heavy as he spoke during the award ceremony at the end of the match. He hugged the little boy standing next to him. It is really difficult to control one’s emotions at the time of farewell. Even a person with a steely mentality like Andre Russell could not do it today.
It seems like it’s time to stop, Russell at the farewell party.
Russell had announced before the start of the T20 series against Australia that he would play the last match of his international career in his home country Jamaica. Today, the second T20 of the series was held at Sabina Park in his hometown of Kingston. The West Indies, who are trapped in a cycle of failure, could not brighten Russell’s farewell, losing to Australia by 8 wickets. However, Russell sees winning and losing as part of the game at the farewell. The 37-year-old star said, “The result of the match did not come in our favor. But that is cricket. At the end of the day, I am happy. The audience was amazing in the last two matches. We also tried to give our best.”
West Indies cricket is going through a difficult time. The team seems to have forgotten how to win. And after 7 months, there is another T20 World Cup. The West Indies would have certainly wanted to use his experience there. But Russell also explained why he retired before the World Cup, “I think it’s time to stop now and the boys will take (West Indies cricket) forward from here. There are some good players in the team. (Romario) Shepherd is playing very aggressive cricket. Players like (Sherfan) Rutherford, Alzarri (Joseph) and (Jason) Holder are also in the team.”
Russell has played only one Test. He has played 56 ODIs, the last of which was against Bangladesh in the 2019 World Cup. World cricket will remember him mainly for T20s. Not only in franchise cricket, he has also won a few matches for the West Indies as a ‘one-man army’. Among his many memorable performances, he had said a few days ago that his innings (43 not out off 20 balls) that stunned India in the 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final in Mumbai was the best moment of his career.
Today, he also spoke about his pride over his two T20 World Cup victories (2012 and 2016), “I remember how high our flag flew after winning the World Cup twice.”
Russell is grateful to everyone for being able to play his last match at home, “I was able to end my international career at Sabina Park. I played in front of the local audience, family and friends. I thank the West Indies Cricket Board for giving me this opportunity. I am grateful for your support. I hope you will continue to support the team in this way to move forward.”
Today, the West Indies put Australia under some pressure by dismissing two openers, Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh, in the Powerplay. A winning situation could have been created from there.
But the Caribbean fielders missed three catches. Russell himself took a catch. Josh Inglis and Cameron Green made great use of the opportunity after getting ‘life’. The two’s unbroken record partnership of 131 runs plunged the West Indies into despair. West Indies captain Shai Hope blamed himself for Russell’s failure to shine in the farewell victory. He said, “It was a difficult match. Our preparation was good. The start was also great. But that’s the reality of the game. We can only blame ourselves for that. You have to make use of the opportunities. Although it is an integral part of the game.”
