The Wisden Almanack, an annually-published, world renowned cricket reference book, better known in some circles as the ‘Bible of Cricket’, has named West Indian, Andre Russell, the leading T20 cricketer of 2019, according to Cricket West Indies (CWI).
It is a timely announcement, with cricket events currently on a pause worldwide and players and fans alike, craving any good news and quality cricketing content. Russell expressed that he is “deeply honored” by the accolade and will use this as motivation while preparing for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is currently scheduled for Australia in November of this year.
“My main focus currently, is ensuring that I perform to the best of my ability every time I am given the opportunity to play cricket. With the World T20 swiftly approaching, I just want to take things one day at a time and give myself and my team the best possible chance of winning that tournament,” he told CWI.
Highlighted by his strike rate of 182, Russell was exceptional in 2019 in the games shortest format, amassing a total of 1,080 runs in 46 matches, hitting a spectacular 101 sixes.
Russell believes he is in the form of his life, but he is also aware of the work it will take to maintain this purple patch throughout the year and ready to take on that challenge.
“My body feels amazing and things are really going well for me out in the middle. In the past, I was able to win a lot of matches with brute force, however, I have made strides in regards to my timing and technique. I am very excited for the months ahead.”
Russell was scheduled to be at the Indian Premier League (IPL) currently, but is in Jamaica working on his fitness, due to the postponement of that tournament.
“We look forward to seeing Andre and all the other Men In Maroon back in action as soon as possible, as we remain optimistic throughout the COVID-19 pandemic,” CWI said.
