Windies all-rounder Andre Russell has made a comeback to the ODI squad for the first time since 2015 for the three-match series against Bangladesh beginning on July 22 in Guyana.
Meanwhile, Russell has played only one ODI for his country since the ICC World Cup in 2015. He last featured against Sri Lanka in Colombo in the first ODI. He scored 41 off 24 balls but also suffered a leg injury that kept him out of the following two matches in the series.
Following that, he served a suspension for one year after violating anti-doping rules. Russell failed to file his whereabouts paperwork three times within a year, which amounts to a failed doping test under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.
After the ban, he represented Jamaica in the Regional 50-over tournament. However, he decided to withdraw himself from the ICC World Cup Qualifier in a bid to regain his fitness. Instead, he opted to play in the Pakistan Super League during the same time frame.
“Great to have Dre Russ back as well,” West Indies coach Stuart Law said. “His explosive power and energy will breathe life into an already motivated squad,” it added.
Fast bowler Alzarri Joseph and batsman Kieran Powell have also earned recalls. However, Marlon Samuels, Carlos Brathwaite, Nikita Miller, Sheldon Cottrell and Kesrick Williams missed out from the squad.
Aside from the five dropped players, CWI has also decided to give some rest to fast bowler Kemar Roach. They have cited that they want to manage the workload ahead of the World Cup next year. Incidentally, Roach also missed the second Test against Bangladesh after sustaining a hamstring injury.
Guyana will host the first two ODIs on July 22 and 25 while St. Kitts will host the third on July 28. Windies will have an upper hand in the series after demolishing them in the Test series while Bangladesh will look to bounce back.
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