KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – Doubt remains over all-rounder Andre Russell’s fitness for Jamaica Tallawahs’ next Caribbean Premier League contest against Guyana Amazon Warriors on Friday at Sabina Park.
The dynamic 28-year-old has been hampered by a knee injury and has missed two of the Tallawahs’ four games in the competition which bowled off June 29.
Significantly, Russell has not bowled in either game in which he has played, but Tallawahs head coach Paul Nixon said the player was keen on suiting up for the franchise’s first home game.
All-rounder Andre Russell … is keen to play against Guyana Amazon Warriors on Friday.
“We missed Andre and he’s been recovering well and he’s raring to go,” Nixon told the Jamaica Observer.
“As far as I know, he’s ready for it. He’s played a lot of cricket and he was probably due a rest at some stage. But being the guy that he is and the passion that he has got for the game, he wants to do well.”
Russell has emerged in recent in recent years as one of the most sought-after players on the global Twenty20 circuit. Since the 2015 CPL campaign, Russell has turned out in the South African Ram Slam, the Bangladesh Premier League, the Australian Big Bash and the Indian Premier League.
He was also part of the West Indies side which captured the Twenty20 World Cup in India last April.
Nixon, who steered Tallawahs to the capture of the inaugural CPL title in 2013, said Russell would be forced to look at the volume of cricket he undertook in the future.
“He’s desperate to be back, but he’s going to have to make some big decisions after the CPL [in terms of] where he goes and what he does,” the Englishman said.
Tallawahs lie second on five points, behind leaders Amazon Warriors who have 10.
