Why were T20's biggest stars Andre Russell and Sunil Narine left out of Windies' WC squad?

West Indies on Wednesday announced a 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is slated to be held in Australia later this year. Nicholas Pooran has been named the captain of the side with Rovman Powell as his deputy. Among the few notable names missing from the Windies' squad are Andre Russell and Sunil Narine, who despite being the biggest T20 stars, have not been considered for the marquee tournament.

Russell was part of West Indies' previous World Cup-winning campaign in 2016 when the side defeated England in the final to win their record second World T20 trophy. Narine was also part of the squad but was withdrawn later due to an injury. Both Russell and Narine were left out of the national team for their 2021 T20 World Cup campaign. 

Why are Russell & Narine not part of the Windies' T20 WC squad?

According to Cricket West Indies chief selector Desmond Haynes, Andre Russell has been left out of the T20 World Cup squad because of his inability to put up match-winning performances in the recent past. After speaking with Russell earlier in the year, Haynes has said that he is still not convinced the Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder is putting up the same level of performance that the team would want in the ICC tournament.

Russell has played four matches in the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) so far and has only managed to score 34 runs at a dismal average of 8.50. 

Russell played six matches for the Windies in the 2016 T20 World Cup and scored 91 runs at an average of 30.33 and with a strike rate of 142.18. He also picked nine wickets at an average of 21.00 and with an economy rate of 7.87.

Narine, the 34-year-old, has been excluded from the T20 World Cup squad because of his ongoing issues with Cricket West Indies. Haynes said that West Indies skipper Nicholas Pooran reached out to Narine regarding his selection in the World Cup squad but the off-spin bowler seemed not in the mood to play for the Men in Maroon. 

West Indies' T20 World Cup squad

West Indies' squad: Nicholas Pooran (captain), Rovman Powell (vc), Yannic Cariah, Johnson Charles, Sheldon Cottrell, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Kyle Mayers, Obed Mccoy, Raymon Reifer, Odean Smith. 

Image: IPL