Andre Russell is one of the biggest power hitters the world of cricket has ever seen. From single-handedly decimating the oppositions by wielding the bat like a mace to bouncing out the opposition with sheer pace, dre Russ, the athlete dons more than one responsibility while being in the field.
Andre Russell is a West Indies cricketer, born on 29th April 1988 in Jamaica. Russell is an all-rounder who bats right-handed in the lower middle order and bowls right-arm fast medium. Russell is regarded as one of the most destructive batsmen in the current international cricket scenario.
Russell made his first-class debut for Jamaica in the 2007 season at an age of 19. However, it was in the 2010 season when Russell showed what he was capable of. He played for the Barnards Green Cricket Club in Worcestershire, England, and helped them get promoted to the Birmingham League cricket. He took 39 wickets at an average of 10.15 and also made 799 runs in 11 innings.
He made his way to the West Indies A squad and smashed 61 off 34 balls with the bat and took 6/42 with the ball against Ireland in June 2010.
After a string of impressive performances in the Maroon outfit and in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), Andre Russell was bought by Delhi Daredevils in the year 2013 for $450,000. But sparse chances and injuries restricted his number of games to a handful for the 2012 and 2013 editions.
After some fleeting appearances for Delhi, he was signed up by Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL season in 2014, where he became a part of the IPL winning side and since then has remained loyal to the team.
After shifting from Delhi to Kolkata, Russell didn’t have an out and out start to his KKR career as 2014 saw him only compete in a couple of games as KKR won the tournament for the second time that year without much of his services. But the tide changed for good in 2015 and it saw Andre Russell being Man of the Match thrice in that edition of the tourney. His three fifties that season saw him tally 326 runs at an astounding strike-rate of 192. He also starred with the ball and picked up 14 wickets to be adjudged as the MVP of the 2015 IPL.
In the first edition of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), Russell was snaffled up by Jamaica Tallawahs and he became an instant hit with the franchise. Dre Russ slammed 203 runs in his first CPL at an astronomical strike rate of 189.71 with the cherry on the cake being his 18-ball-33 in the final, powering Jamaica Tallawahs to the title. He broke his own CPL record in 2018 with a century in 40 balls
Due to these performances, Big Bash team Melbourne Renegades signed up Russell for the fourth edition. However, his appearances in the premier tournament were cut short as Russell had to fly out to play for his country.
In the BBL 2015-16 whilst playing for Sydney Thunders Russell struck at a perilously scary strike-rate of 186.86 and picked up 16 wickets - joint-second best - from 10 matches. Russell won the CPL title with Tallawahs in 2013, the IPL title with Kolkata Knight Riders in 2014, the Bangladesh Premier League title with Comilla Victorians, the BBL title with Sydney Thunder and the Pakistan Super League title with Islamabad United in 2016. A true globe-trotter when it comes to T20 leagues.
After debuting in the World Cup, Andre Russell hit a sedate patch as he did not fare well in the series against Pakistan immediately after. However, he came into his own in the ODI series against India soon after. Russell made a superlative 92 not out in the third game.
Russell’s abilities with the bat were on full display against India at North Sound in 2011. West Indies were 96/7 when he came out to bat and stuck a 64-ball 92 to rescue his side.
Few days later, he showcased his bowling skills against the same side at Kingston with figures of 4/35. West Indies won the game and he received the player of the match award.
When Australians toured the Caribbean islands in 2012, Russell showed his all-round skills in a match at Gros Islet. He took 4/61 and then made 41 off 33 deliveries but could not take his side to victory.
Another impact knock from Russell which helped the Windies to victory was against South Africa at Port Elizabeth in 2015 where he made 64 off 40 balls. It was a consolation win in a difficult tour for the side.
Russell also made it to his second 50-over World Cup as the selectors named him in the 15-man squad. He played a few blistering cameos as the West Indies ended with a quarterfinal finish. Andre Russell had to sit out the 2019 World Cup due to an injury and was replaced by Sunil Ambris.
Andre Russell made his T20I debut against Pakistan on April 2011 but his breakout performance came when he took his side to victory in the semi-final of the 2016 ICC World T20 against India at Mumbai with an unbeaten 43 off 20 balls. He came to crease when his side needed 77 from 41 balls and took them home. Andre Russell was also the part of the winning 2012 T20 World Cup West Indies squad. Contrary to his T20 franchise performances, Andre Russell has blown hot, blown cold in the T20I arena.
Andre Russell, the savage batsman known for using the long lever was never molded for the rigours of Test cricket. His first and last Test match outing came before his ODI and T20I debut on 15 November 2010 against Sri Lanka.
Andre Russell was born in Kingston, Jamaica on 29 April 1988 to Michael Russell and Sandra Davis. He is married to his long-time girlfriend Jassym Lora and the couple together had a kid earlier this year.
