Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief executive Johnny Grave has clarified that Andre Russell’s decision to participate in the Global T20 Canada is part of an injury rehabilitation program for the all-rounder.
Russell raised eyebrows recently when he pulled out of the T20 series between West Indies and India before going on to appear for the Vancouver Knights in the Global T20 Canada just a day later.
The star all-rounder has been hampered with a troublesome knee for some time now and it was responsible for prematurely ending his 2019 World Cup in England. CWI chief executive Johnny Grave has now explained that Russell’s participation in the franchise T20 league in Canada is a gradual step in getting him back to full fitness.
“We cleared him fit to play in Canada as a batsman,” Grave told ESPNcricinfo.
“To monitor his fitness every day, a couple of our physios are over in the GT20, so we’ve got that oversight with Andre and his knee.
Andre Russell’s World Cup was cut short prematurely.
“But there’s a massive difference between playing in domestic cricket to international cricket. Our fans really want to see Andre Russell at a 100 per cent while playing here against India: batting at 100 per cent, bowling at per cent, fielding dynamically outside the circle at 100 per cent.”
The Windies chief executive expects the knee to trouble Russell throughout his playing career but is backing him to last the distance through careful management.
“His injuries are probably not going to be ones that are ever going to be fully solved,” Grave said.
“Like many other sportsmen, like the Beckhams and the Ibrahimovics that have knee injuries, daily rehab is going to be part of his life for the rest of his playing career.
“We hope that he just takes our medical advice, strengthens his knee and hopefully when he’s back to 100 per cent fitness he’ll be back wearing maroon.”