Russell’s back and killing it, but the West Indies cricket soap opera is far from over

Dec 12, 2023, 11:53 PM ET

Everyone wants to be their own boss. Choose your own hours. Pick your holidays. And take two years off before coming back in time for a home World Cup.

The return of Andre Russell to the T20I side is the latest in the West Indian cricket soap opera.

In the last month, the region has seen Darren Bravo, 34, controversially omitted from the ODI squad because of his age, with the sprightly Kjorn Ottley chosen instead. And happy birthday to Kjorn, by the way, he turned 34 on Saturday. Shane Dowrich, 32, was recalled to the white-ball set-up after four years on the sidelines, only to announce his retirement from international cricket ten days later. And chief selector Desmond Haynes said he was unaware of Akeal Hosein’s status when it came to the ODI series, only for him to open the bowling in tonight’s T20I.

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And just as the cricket threatened to take over. In the space of two days, the return of Russell and the departure of Jason Holder, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers were confirmed. All of whom have opted to reject the Cricket West Indies central contract.

Russell isn’t the player he once was, but he is still a match-winner, and in his much anticipated return, he put in a Player-of-the-Match performance with a game-changing spell of 3 for 19, before sealing a four-wicket win for West Indies as he bludgeoned 29 not out off 14 balls.

“I love the start I got,” Russell said in the moments after play, still sweating after his 49-run partnership with skipper Rovman Powell got the West Indies over the line. “I always want to play for the West Indies. Sometimes people might think it’s all about playing leagues and all of those things, but I try to make sure that I look after my body and make sure that when the call-up is here, I’m ready. I was really excited for this call-up.”

The return of Russell is a boost for West Indies both on-and-off the pitch. He is a global superstar, with his presence a boon for every marketing and financial spreadsheet. But more to the point, he fills a middle-and-death-overs-shaped hole for West Indies that the team was crying out for.

No longer an out-and-out hard hitting allrounder, Russell is now a hard-length-hitting bowler, who, if you ask nicely, is also good for a few sixes.

His three-wicket spell was split between the first over that went for ten and the following three that went for just nine and included the wickets of Phil Salt, Liam Livingstone and Rehan Ahmed.

“The last delivery of my first over, I bowled a slower ball and I realised it gripped,” Russell said of his spell. “Since then, I told most of the seamers, bowl cutters, make it difficult for them. Pace-on deliveries, that’s where they get most of their runs… I tried to pass the message on as quickly as possible.”

Before Russell’s slower-ball intervention, England had scored 77 runs without a wicket, and they then lost all ten for just 94 more.

“I was excited to see all the guys there trying to make sure the plan that we discussed in the huddle came out,” Russell said. “And it’s good to pull it back from a high-scoring game to 170 [171]. We know how good the quality of England’s spinners are and their [other] bowlers, so it was good to actually restrict them and have some cushion and comfort.”

That Russell is back in West Indies colours is down to new head coach Daren Sammy. Together, the pair won the 2012 and 2016 T20 World Cups, and it was after Russell’s 11 wickets in the CPL three months ago that Sammy teased the idea of him coming back to win a third.

“Sammy mentioned that once I do what I have to do in the CPL he will definitely mention my name in selection,” Russell said. “And I had my fingers crossed… I’m here to play cricket and I’m just happy I can be wearing this crest on my chest.”

It is a full-circle moment for West Indian cricket, as two of the first high-profile players to go down the freelance route have reunited under the national banner. Sammy and Russell were cut from the national contracts list in 2016, experiences that make them well-placed to assist and understand the latest generation of players’ internal debates when they are weighing up what’s best for their own futures. When it was Russell and Sammy doing it, it was a leap into the unknown. But now, for the likes of Pooran, Holder and Mayers, who have opted to forego their CWI contracts, it’s a risk where the potential rewards are evidenced by the senior player and head coach in their own dressing room.

“To be honest, I was just scrolling Google and I saw that,” Russell said of the trio’s decision. “I don’t know what’s going on really, I won’t get into that, to be honest. Whatever off the field stuff like that, they must know why they turned down the retainer, but at the end of the day, everyone’s decision is final.”

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A decision that isn’t final, however, is when Russell himself will be calling time on his international career.

“It all depends on how the World Cup goes for me,” Russell said of whether the grand plan is to win the World Cup on home soil and then go sailing off into the sunset. “I still have a lot left in the tank. But, you know, based on discussions with the coach, I told him that after the World Cup I would walk away from international cricket, but if they need me, I will come out of retirement.

“That’s the plan that I have, there are so many young talents here, all around us, similar to myself. Sometimes you realise that you’re going into 36, you know, just give the youngsters the opportunity. And if West Indies should still need me, I would be willing to put in the hard yards for them.”

The assumption remains that Russell will call it quits when the World Cup ends. The fear is that others may join him. The line between country and cash is thinner and more complicated than outsiders will ever appreciate, with a common criticism that the prioritisation of the latter is immoral. However, watch the video of West Indies’ captain Powell explaining how his sole motivation is to ensure his mum never experiences poverty again, and that argument falls apart.

Nothing is guaranteed in West Indian cricket, with the next drama no doubt around the corner. But what Russell showed today, is that the next episode has a chance to be a happy one.