Andre Russell announces retirement from international cricket

Veteran West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell announced his retirement from international cricket on Wednesday.

The 37-year-old, who is part of the West Indies T20I squad for a five-match series against Australia, will play the opening two games at Jamaica’s Sabina Park as his farewell games.

“Words cannot explain what it meant. To represent the West Indies has been one of the proudest achievements in my life,” Russell said in a statement.

“When I was a kid, I did not 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. This inspired me to become better because I wanted to leave a mark in the maroon colours and become an inspiration to others,” he added.

He announces his retirement just seven months ahead of the next T20 World Cup, set to take place in India and Sri Lanka in February 2026.

Andre Russell, who was part of the West Indies squads when they won the T20 World Cup in 2012 and in 2016, has only played the shorter format since 2019.

He is the second veteran West Indies player, after Nicholas Pooran, to have retired from international cricket in the last two months.

The 37-year-old all-rounder has played in 84 T20Is for his national side, amassing 1,078 runs along with 61 wickets to his name.

Overall, he has scored 9,316 runs at a strike-rate of 168.31 and has picked up 485 wickets in 561 T20 games.

West Indies T20I squad for Australia series:

Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford and Romario Shepherd.