CWC 2019: Injured Andre Russell heads home; Sunil Ambris to replace him
West Indies’ star all-rounder Andre Russell has been ruled out of the ongoing World Cup owing to persistent injuries. His fragile knees have finally given up and the Jamaican will not take any further part in the World Cup. An opening batsman who has played six ODIs so far, Sunil Ambris, will take the all-rounder’s place in the 15-man World Cup squad of West Indies.
Before the World Cup, Russell had hogged the limelight in the 2019 IPL with a stellar batting performance. The strongly built hitter amassed 510 runs in 14 matches at an astonishing strike rate of 205. He smashed 52 sixes in the season and backed it up with 11 wickets as well. The World Cup was to be his ultimate stage where the all-rounder was supposed to steal the show.
In the first match against Pakistan, Russell bowled with pace and fury. However, the injuries began to surface as the tournament progressed. He was hobbling and writhing in pain on most of his appearances. Finally, the misery has come to an end.
Andre Russell will miss the rest of #CWC19 due to injury, with Sunil Ambris called up as his replacement. https://t.co/b0WKCfr3gi
— ICC (@ICC) June 24, 2019
Sunil Ambris, Russell’s replacement, made his ODI debut in September 2017 but received his next chance in the 50-over format in May 2019. He has an ODI century to his credit, which came against Ireland at Dublin in the last month. He is also likely to act as a cover for Evin Lewis, who hurt his hamstring against New Zealand.
Currently, West Indies finds themselves on the eighth position in the World Cup points table. The Caribbean side is yet to win a game after their triumph against Pakistan. Jason Holder’s men will play their next game on 27th June (Thursday) against India which will be followed by the encounters versus Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Even with three wins in their final three matches, the chances of West Indies finishing in the top four are very slim. However, the team will be charged up to save their pride.
