Kesrick Williams to replace Andre Russell for T20I series against Pakistan

West Indies all-rounder, Andre Russell will miss out in the upcoming T20I series against Pakistan, as he “asked the board to withdraw his name from the team to attend a personal matter”. Fast bowler Kesrick Williams has been named as his replacement.

Williams who had a good season in the recently concluded Carribean Premier League (CPL) for his franchise Jamaica Tallawahs, that won the title for the second time this season will be looking forward to making his international debut. The 26-year-old bagged 17 wickets in CPL season and was thus included in the West Indies A squad for the tour of Sri Lanka which starts from October 24.

Russell’s absence will be a huge blow for the T20 champions as he has been one of the most dangerous batsmen in the shortest format of the game and his all-round capabilities provide the balance to the side.

Apart from 3 T20Is, the series comprises of 3 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 3 Test matches at Dubai. The series will also witness the first ever day-night Test match in Asia. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement that it “will host its first ever day-night Test match from October 13-17 to be played with the pink ball under lights at the Dubai cricket stadium”.

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The series will commence from 23rd September as both the sides take on each other in the first T20I at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. PCB had offered to host T20I matches in Pakistan, but Windies refused on security concerns.

West Indies T20I squad:

Carlos Brathwaite (c), Samuel Badree, Dwayne Bravo, Johnson Charles, Andre Fletcher, Jason Holder, Evin Lewis, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Nicholas Pooran, Rovman Powell, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Chadwick Walton, Kesrick Williams