Russell rates 2016 T20 World Cup semi-final knock as best of his career

KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC):

WITH JUST two matches remaining in his storied international career, West Indies T20 star Andre Russell has described his match-winning, unbeaten knock of 43 in the semi-finals of the 2016 T20 World Cup against India as his most memorable.

The 37-year-old Russell announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday, with the opening two T20Is against Australia in his homeland of Jamaica set to be his final matches for the West Indies.

Reflecting on a career in which the explosive all-rounder played 84 T20Is, 56 ODIs and a solitary Test match, Russell, who won two T20 World Cups with the West Indies in 2012 and 2016, described his innings against India as the proudest moment representing the regional team.

When he went to the crease at number five, the West Indies still required 77 runs off 41 balls.

His 43 came off just 20 balls, and his boundary with two balls to spare booked the West Indies a spot in the final, which they went on to win by beating England.

“Definitely [my best moment was] the 2016 World Cup, that semi-final game against India where I brought the team home, me and Lendl Simmons, and, obviously, the start that we got from the other batters.

“Chasing 190-plus in that semi-final in India, with the crowd supporting India only, that was already a bit of pressure, but the wicket was a very good wicket. So the confidence that we had in the changing room and the batters that were left to come, it gave me the freedom and the confidence to go out and play the role that I did.” Russell said in a Cricket West Indies (CWI) interview.

The powerfully built Jamaican said winning two World Cups with the West Indies was one of his biggest accomplishments.

“Obviously, two World Cups, it’s just a different emotion.

“You sleep, you wake up [on the morning after the final], and you realise you’ve only been sleeping for two hours, but you feel well rested because you just want to see what’s going on on the Internet, you want to see all of those memories and all of those good comments,” Russell said.