Chennai, India – West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell gave his all with both bat and ball on Thursday, but the Windies were unable to topple England in their Group B ICC Cricket Word Cup match at the M.A. Chidambaram Stadium in Chepauk.
Playing in just his second One Day International, the 22-year-old took four wickets with his right-arm seam bowling as England were bowled out for 243. He then returned to hit 49 off 46 balls to take the Windies close to victory and the two points required to reach the quarter-finals.
He was narrowly edged out for the Man-of-the-Match award by England off-spinner James Tredwell, who took four wickets and bowled England to an 18-run victory.
Speaking after the match Russell said: “I knew this was a crucial match for us. Everyone spoke about it. We knew if we won we would qualify for the next round so I knew I had to do something special with the ball.
“I knew I had to get the ball in the right areas and look for the batsmen to make the mistakes. It was hot out there and I had to put in that extra effort. I got the ball in the right areas and I got the ball to swing and caused some problems. They [England batsmen] were coming at us hard but I was quite satisfied with the way I bowled.”
Russell’s 49 was the highest individual score of the match and included two boundaries and three sixes. He added 72 with Ramnaresh Sarwan for the seventh wicket. Russell said he was happy to make a contribution with the bat, but wanted to take the team all the way to victory.
“I played well, but I was disappointed I did not see the team home to the victory. It was one of those days where things were going for me and I was able to play my natural game. I enjoyed batting with Sarwan and he was talking to me a lot and offering me some good advice. It helped a lot. I felt I played well, but I will now go back and examine my innings and where I went wrong and cost me my wicket.”
Russell added: “I have been asked to play an all-rounder’s role in the team and I will make every effort to better my performances in the upcoming matches. We have a big match coming up against India on Sunday and after that we will be looking to reach the quarter-finals, so I still have some more opportunities to contribute to the team’s success.”
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Boy, I was so disappointed when Russell’s great innings ended and Sarwan followed shortly after. It was more of a “do-or-die” situation for England. Our fellas put up an admirable fight but came up short. I am sure we will bring it hard for the full game against India on Sunday so watch out Tendulkar and company……….Let’s go Windies.
Seriously, that match was sold out to england.
Keep your head up Russell! I was so proud of the way you played. I was disappointed a bit in Sarwan who I believe should have hit the ground running. He took to long to show any scoring form. All in all I enjoyed the game, although the other result would have made my day.
The Windies had the game in their hands but then threw it away. Anyways expecting better things on Sunday in the Windies game vs India. Windies all the way!!!!