WI vs ENG: Fans react as Andre Russell returns to international cricket with a bang - 'Like he has never gone'

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WI vs ENG: Andre Russell announced his comeback for West Indies after a hiatus of two years with a cracking match-winning performance with the bat and ball in the first T20I against England at the Kensington Oval in Barbados.

The 35-year-old from Jamaica first picked three wickets with the ball after West Indies invited England to bat first. He picked the wicket of rampaging Phil Salt (40 off 20), Liam Livingstone and Rehan Ahmed to finish with figures of 3/19 in four overs.

West Indies were six down for 123 in 14.4 overs while chasing 172 when the right-hand batter scored 29 unbeaten runs off just 14 balls to take his team to a four-wicket win with 11 balls to spare. His innings consisted of two fours and as many sixes.

Russell, who was retained by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) ahead of the IPL 2024 auction, was adjudged Man of the Match for his award. He said he was dreaming of winning a Man of the Match award when he got the national call-up two weeks ago.

"Life is so funny. Since when I got selected for the West Indies team I've been dreaming from two weeks now. I was dreaming of being man of the match," Russell, who played his first match for West Indies since November 2021, said.

The hard-hitting all-rounder has made his comeback ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 which is scheduled to be held in the West Indies and the USA in June. His addition adds batting and bowling depth to the West Indies squad. Here's how fans celebrated Andre Russell's international comeback.