The T20 World Cup 2024 is less than four months away from now and the teams are gearing up for the mega action in the USA and West Indies. Australia and West Indies are all set to lock horns against each other in a three-match T20I series starting from February 9 in Hobart. However, before the series and ahead of the tournament in the USA and West Indies, two-time T20 World Cup winner Andre Russell has dropped a major hint about his retirement.
Ahead of the match, Russell has said that he retire from International cricket after the T20 World Cup but would return if needed. “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,” Russell said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
Russell has returned to the West Indies T20I squad recently. He was part of the team in its 3-2 series win against England in December 2023 and is in the squad for the Australia series too. Notably, ahead of the England series, the all-rounder last played for the Windies in the format in November 2021. The T20 World Cup 2021 was his last 20-over game before a return.
Russell has played 72 T20Is, 56 ODIs and 1 Test match in his International career. The power-hitter has scored 846 runs in T20Is, 1034 in ODIs and 2 in Tests. In the wickets column, the all-rounder has 46 scalps to his name in T20Is, 70 in ODIs and 1 in Test.
Notably, the Windies will be looking to remind their once-upon-a-time domination in the format. They are the only team to win the T20 World Cup twice – they won the tournament in 2012 after beating Sri Lanka in the final before edging past England in the 2016 edition of the tournament.
They crashed out of the 2021 edition of the tournament in round 2 and then failed to progress into the Super 12 stage of the 2022 edition. This time though, they are co-hosting the prestigious tournament alongside USA in June.