Andre Fletcher Hoping To Cement A Spot In The T20I Team In His Comeback Series Against New Zealand

Hard-hitting opening batsman, Andre Fletcher is looking to fix his place in the West Indies T20I team on the tour of New Zealand.

Fletcher last played a T20 international in 2018 against Bangladesh. Mediocre returns with the bat and the rise of several youngsters meant that Fletcher fell out of the T20 squad. However, he has forced his way back into the squad after an impressive Caribbean Premier League (CPL) in 2020 – post the resumption of play in the pandemic era.

The right-hander scored 211 runs in 12 games at a strike rate of 127 and showed high-level control on the difficult tracks. He was instrumental in his team, St Lucia Zouka reaching the final.

My goal is to score enough runs to cement myself in the T20 squad: Andre Fletcher

Andre Fletcher has landed in New Zealand where he and the rest of his teammates will have to remain in isolation before they can practice. Coach Phil Simmons earlier has said that players will be provided opportunities keeping in mind the T20 World Cup in India next year.

Andre Fletcher understands that he has to grasp this opportunity. He said that he had become a more optimistic person than he was. The right-hander has worked hard on his physical fitness and put in a lot of strength in his body.

According to a report in Times of India, Fletcher said, “I have to make it possible for I grasp that.”

“I have become a more positive player. My shot selection has improved a lot. I’ve worked very hard on my physical aspect and been putting in a lot of strength work behind the scenes.

The 32-year-old believes that his hard work has paid off in the CPL and aspired to achieve success in international cricket as well. He talks about the goals, individually and collectively. Fletcher was part of the World Cup-winning squad in 2016. He said the mood in the current team reminds him of 2016.

“It has paid off … and hopefully that will continue in the international scene too. The team goal is to win the series. My individual goal is to try and score enough runs to cement myself in the T20 squad.”

“We were supporting each other, enjoying each other’s success. I’ve seen that in this team. We have to make sure that everyone is comfortable, as that is how you get the best out of everyone,” he added.

The three-match T20I series commences on 27th November in Auckland. The next two T20Is will be played in Mount Maunganui on 29th and 30th November, followed by a two-match Test series.

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