'Dre Russ' calls time: Andre Russell to retire during Australia T20 series

Jamaican allrounder Andre Russell will suit up for the West Indies for the last time when he plays the first two Twenty/20s of a five-match series versus Australia on home territory at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica on July 20 and 22.

Cricket West Indies (CWI) announced a 16-man squad for the T20 series on July 16, and later confirmed the 37-year-old Russell will retire from international cricket after the Jamaican leg of the series. The remainder of the series will be played at Warner Park in Basseterre, St Kitts, with matches being held on July 25, 26 and 28.

Russell's retirement comes seven months before the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka and comes on the heels of the retirement of star batsman Nicholas Pooran, who called time on his international career just five weeks ago.

A hard-hitting middle-order batsman and an aggressive right-arm pacer, Russell has played 141 matches across all formats for West Indies since playing a solitary Test match away to Sri Lanka in 2010. It's in shortest format the all-action allrounder made his mark, with 84 T20s and 56 One-day Internationals (ODIs) to his name to date. In his favoured T20 format, Russell has scored 1,078 runs for the Windies at an average of 22 and an astronomical strike rate of 163.08. He has also struck three fifties with a top score of 71. With the ball, Russell has taken 61 wickets for the Men in Maroon with a career-best return of three for 19.

"Words cannot explain what it meant. To represent the West Indies has been one of the proudest achievements in my life," Russell said, via a CWI release. "When I was a kid, I didn't expect to get to this level, but the more you start to play and get to love the sport, you realise what you can achieve."

Russell's greatest achievements for the Windies arguably came in the T20 format as he was a member of the regional team that lifted the T20 World Cup titles in 2012 and 2016.

Set to face an Australian team which just blanked the Windies 3-0 in the just-concluded Test series, "Dre Russ" wants to go out with a bang at Sabina Park.

"I love playing for the West Indies and I love playing at home in front of my family and friends where I get to showcase my talent and produce more high-quality performances," Russell said.

"I want to finish my international career on a high while being a role model for the next generation of cricketers coming out of the Caribbean."

Windies coach Daren Sammy, who captained the team that won the two T20 World Cup crowns, paid tribute to Russell.

"Andre has always been the consummate professional and a fierce competitor. Whether I was captaining him or now coaching him, his hunger to perform and win for West Indies has never wavered," Sammy said.

"I wish him all the best on his next chapter and I hope he continues to inspire generations to come."

The CWI release said Barbados allrounder Matthew Forde will replace Russell for the St Kitts leg of the T20 series.