T20 World Cup 2022: West Indies selector reveals why Andre Russell is not in squad

Cricket West Indies (CWI) on Wednesday announced the squad for the upcoming International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup, which will take place from October-November this year. The panel confirmed fifteen (15) players who will represent the West Indies for the eighth ICC T20 World Cup, which will be played in Australia from October 16 to November 13. Notably, star all-rounder Andre Russell was ignored by the selectors. It is worth noting, Russell last played for the West Indies cricket team in the last T20 World Cup and currently, he is playing for Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022, but his form is far from impressive. Meanwhile, explaining Russell’s absence from the T20 World Cup squad, Cricket West Indies chief selector Desmond Haynes said, “We had a meeting with Andre Russell earlier in the year. We’re still not convinced yet, he’s not performing as well as we would like to see him in the competition. I think in the situation with Andre Russell, we’ve just decided to move on, and look for someone who’s in form, and doing well in the T20 format.” “I did not get any notice from Narine regarding his availability to play. There were conversations that the captain [Nicholas Pooran] was having with Narine, and from all reports, it seemed that he was not interested,” Haynes said when he was asked about mystery spinner Sunil Narine. “Someone like Evin Lewis, we all agree that he’s our best one-day cricketer, he’s done so well for us over the years,” Haynes told the commentator Ian Bishop in an interview on the sidelines of Wednesday’s CPL game between Jamaica Tallawahs and St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. “We had a meeting with him, and he’s committed to West Indies cricket; he told us that he’s committed to West Indies cricket, and I believe he should be given the opportunity.” “Sometimes we have to move on and appreciate it when people come to us and explain their position to us, and if we agree, we give them a chance,” Haynes later said in a press conference. Coming to the squad, Nicholas Pooran leads the West Indies in his first World Cup as captain, with Rovman Powell as vice-captain. Left-hand opening batter Evin Lewis has been recalled for the first time since the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup. Two uncapped players have been selected; right-arm leg-spinner allrounder Yannic Cariah and left-arm batting allrounder Raymon Reifer. West Indies will face Zimbabwe on October 19 and then Ireland on October 21 with the top two teams from Group B joining the Super 12s, along with the top two teams from Group A which features Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands and Namibia. The top two teams from each Super 12 group will advance to the semi-finals on November 9 and 10. T20 World Cup squad: Nicholas Pooran (c), Rovman Powell, Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed Mccoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith.