Days after West Indies head coach Phil Simmons and chief selector Desmond Haynes lamented about senior players non-availability for Team West Indies, Star West Indies National Cricket Team all-rounder Andre Russell has come up with a response
“It hurts. There’s no other way to put it. But what can you do? I don’t think that I should be begging people to play for their countries. I think if you want to represent West Indies, you will make yourself available.
“Life has changed, in that people have the opportunities to go different places and if they choose that over West Indies, that’s just how it is,” Simmons was quoted as saying by ESPNcricinfo.
Just a few months before the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2022, Russell has made himself unavailable for selection and several other players’ availability is doubtful.
Veteran Spinner Sunil Narine’s position is unclear, Fabian Allen has pulled out for personal reasons and Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas have not appeared for their fitness tests.
Sunil Narine is also at the Hundred. His last appearance for West Indies was in a T20I in August 2019. according to Haynes, though Lewis has signed a deal with Jaffna Kings in the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League.
Russell has now offered a somewhat cryptic social-media response to these comments, putting up an Instagram post-Worte this comment:
“I know this was coming but am gonna stay quiet!!!”
View this post on Instagram
The 34-year-old all-rounder Andre Russell has not played for the West Indies National Cricket Team since the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021.
However, he has been regularly playing T20 leagues all over the world.
While talking about Russell, West Indies National Cricket Team chief selector Desmond Haynes said:
“From what I have gathered, I think he is unavailable because he hasn’t made himself available.”
I guess they are telling us we have already made it..(money and status). You guys are not important to us anymore.
They are a set of ungrateful cricketers…built by the W I then they scuffed at the W I
They for many years have disrespeted the W I and westindian supporters all over the world with stupid excuses aa to why they are unavailable. At times health is put in the way only to see in a week or less they suit up for a franchise team somewhere in the world.
Again the almighty dollar is the root of all problems you can’t blame the players for looking out for themselves and their family.
That’s not true worst team ever in west indies cricket is the board and the selectors we have been having problems for over a decade because of the selectors chairman and the board the best players are always out of the squad because of them is time we the people and the countries involved get more into the business of west Indian cricket the down fall is to many ex west indies players have personal dispute with players and favour others with less potential
When people make comments like “players have to look out for themselves and their families”, make me ask the question whetber the pay them peanuts. Yet another excuse. The situation is greed for the much more easily earned dollar replaces national pride and responsibility. Every cricket playing nation has problems with they management but the only one to abandon they country is Windies. Think about it.