Windies all-rounder Andre Russell has flatly dismissed suggestion he refused to represent the regional team in the upcoming World Cup Qualifiers in Zimbabwe.
Russell found himself at the center of controversy after being named as one of four players who did not make themselves available for selection ahead of the crucial qualifiers.
The others included Sunil Narine, Darren Bravo and Kieron Pollard.
Russel disputes media reports
According to a Cricket West Indies release the players listed a commitment to taking part in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as the primary reason for their absence. Russell, however, disputes the version of events insisting that after a one-year absence from the sport he did not feel he would be up to the required standard.
Russell served a year out of the sport after being judged guilty of committing a doping whereabouts violation.
“I’ve seen the comments bashing me, saying that I am not interested in playing for West Indies and (had) turned my back on the team. I would never do that. West Indies made me who I am at this moment and I’m not going to burn my bridges,” Russell told Firstpost.
“I had reached out to the president, coach, directors, captain and I explained to them this is going to be the situation. Because I’ve been out of cricket for 14 months and to be coming back in at a crucial point when West Indies need to qualify for a World Cup… I didn’t want to hinder someone else who would be more match-ready and disadvantage the team.
“So, all suggestions out there that I purposely didn’t want to play for West Indies is not true. I told them (board) that further down in (the) year I would love to be back in (the) team in that color and have that badge over my heart,” he further explained.
