With two more high-profile T20 leagues coming up, top West Indian players are set to be in great demand, and the situation has all the makings of a fresh scrap between the players and the team management, and, by extension, the cricket board. It might have begun already.
“It hurts,” Simmons said. “There’s no other way to put it. But what can you do? I don’t think that I should be begging people to play for their countries. I think if you want to represent West Indies, you will make yourself available.”
Russell has now offered a somewhat cryptic social-media response to these comments, putting up an Instagram post with a screenshot of ESPNcricinfo’s news piece with Simmons’ quote in the headline, and this comment: “I know this was coming but am gonna stay quiet!!!”
Russell hasn’t turned out for West Indies since the 2021 T20 World Cup. He isn’t part of their squad for the ongoing three-match T20I series against New Zealand – Haynes said “he is unavailable because he hasn’t made himself available” – but is playing for the Manchester Originals in the Hundred. He was also part of the list of overseas players unveiled by the UAE’s ILT20, which begins in January next year.
Sunil Narine is also at the Hundred. His last appearance for West Indies was in a T20I in August 2019. Evin Lewis and Oshane Thomas have not appeared for their fitness tests, according to Haynes, though Lewis has signed a deal with Jaffna Kings in the upcoming edition of the Lanka Premier League. Fabian Allen has pulled out for personal reasons.
Jason Holder, Obed McCoy, Alzarri Joseph, Kyle Mayers, Romario Shepherd and Jayden Seales, who have turned out regularly for West Indies in recent months, have all signed up for the South African T20 league, which will be played almost concurrently with the ILT20 next year. Apart from Russell and Narine, Allen, Lewis, Rovman Powell, Akeal Hosein, Shimron Hetmyer, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran and Dwayne Bravo are on board for the ILT20.
Due to all this, West Indies are far from getting their full crop of top T20I players together despite the T20 World Cup, which begins in Australia in mid-October, looming.
It appears, now, that some sort of breaking point might have been reached. According to Haynes, the West Indies management will give more weightage to performances in CWI-run tournaments, like the upcoming CPL, for selection.
“If there is a competition that is run by the West Indies (and) somebody is playing well, I think his name should really come up for selection,” Haynes said. “That performance is very important to us, and we didn’t say that we have picked the World Cup team yet, so all the games that are going to be played leading up to the World Cup, we must take into consideration.”
Russell and Narine, among others, are CPL regulars, so there is a chance that they might not be out of the fray for the T20 World Cup just yet.
Speaking on his international future, Narine recently told ESPNcricinfo, “There’s a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff going on, which I don’t really want to get into, but I mean, everybody would love to represent their country. It’s a hard thing watching them knowing that you want to be part of it and you’re not part of it.
“Things happen for a reason and hopefully in the future I’ll be wearing maroon again, but until then, I’d still love to play for Windies. We shall see when that opportunity comes, but there will never be a no for West Indies.”
Russell has also in the past spoken about his desire to represent West Indies as much as possible, while at the same time seeming to prioritise franchise cricket over internationals. Late last year, for instance, he played for Deccan Gladiators in the Abu Dhabi T10 League, but opted out of West Indies’ tour of Pakistan, which began just over a week later, for personal reasons.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept All”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
Cookie
Duration
Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional
11 months
The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance
11 months
This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy
11 months
The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.