- 1 year ago
Frank and honest talk by Andre Russell
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00:00I'll miss out on this money for the love of West Indies cricket.
00:04And I've done it. I've done it over the years.
00:07Miss out on Bangladesh Premier League which paid well.
00:11Miss out on PSL that pays well to play for West Indies.
00:16I leave tournaments to go and join West Indies.
00:20And what we get paid in international cricket for West Indies
00:24is way less than what you can make from a franchise cricket.
00:28But that is a sacrifice that I take that no one talks about.
00:38Welcome Andrew back again to Dubai.
00:40I spoke to you a few years ago when you played for Northern Warriors.
00:43Again I'm meeting you now.
00:44Let's start to talk about the biggest brand in world cricket.
00:47That's West Indies.
00:49So why are you disappointed with the way West Indies played in the World Cup?
00:55T20 World Cup.
00:56Losing in the first round. Two-time champions.
00:59How disappointed were you with the performance?
01:03Yeah, actually I was a bit disappointed.
01:07Well, very disappointed.
01:10Knowing that I have good mates, close mates that was a part of the team.
01:18No one went down there with the mindset not to qualify for the Super 12.
01:24But at the end of the day, I just think in terms of the whole selection thing,
01:30you can't blame those players.
01:33They tried their best.
01:35And not saying anything negative based on I wasn't a part of the squad.
01:42Who knows, maybe if I was there, maybe it wouldn't change the result.
01:47But knowing what I have been doing and what I have done in international cricket,
01:52I just think I'm going to back my talent that we would have maybe qualified for the Super 12.
02:01Maybe a few other players, if they were a part of the squad,
02:08they would maybe come to the party and at least play in the Super 12.
02:14Not saying that we would win the World Cup,
02:18but being in the Super 12, that's every chance you have.
02:22So we wouldn't roll over and say, OK, we're just here to compete.
02:27We are two-time world champions and I was a part of those two World Cup championships.
02:33We know what to do at the big stage.
02:37That's the reason why I'm so disappointed.
02:40Not just you.
02:41West Indies had some very good talents like Sunil Narayan.
02:44Just before the departure, Hetmeyer had to pull out because he didn't reach there in time.
02:51Things are not happening in the right way, isn't it, in West Indies cricket right now?
02:55What is the reason, in your opinion?
02:59I think there's too much ego involved.
03:02If I'm just going to be straightforward and honest, too much ego is involved.
03:08Past players and who is involved with the board, I'm not bashing anyone.
03:15I'm not that type of guy to go live and say this, say that about whatever is happening.
03:23But I leave that to time to take care of itself.
03:30So I just think too much ego is involved.
03:33For instance, my situation.
03:35I don't know what's going on in terms of other players not being selected.
03:40But for me, it was a simple decision that didn't go according to plan.
03:49I think a few years ago, me and Pollard and Mr Simmons, head coach,
03:57we had a Zoom call and they all mentioned the importance of senior players being a part of the squad.
04:04I was excited to see the direction that they are going.
04:08We talk about everything, like what they're expecting, what they want from us.
04:17They know we're not going to be available for all the series,
04:21but they want to know our schedule ahead of time.
04:25So whatever we are available for and what we are not available for, so they can plan accordingly.
04:32And that was a straight up decision.
04:37The guys that's involved now is the same guys that was involved before.
04:43The only changes was the chairman of selectors, Mr Desmond Ings.
04:52He basically didn't know what was the conversation like two years before.
05:01I was disappointed knowing that the coach was a part of the Zoom call
05:06and he didn't utter a word about what was planned before.
05:13So I think they have their plans and people change and that's fine.
05:19But the thing that I wasn't happy about is how they went about it.
05:26So there was four series during that period.
05:32I had the Zoom call, they said to me that,
05:35Russ, I want to know what's your plan? World Cup is coming up.
05:39We need all our good players to be a part of the whole set up and everything.
05:44I said, I'm happy to be a part of it.
05:46West Indies cricket means everything to me.
05:49I don't mind hitting six sixes and doing all of these great things
05:53that I've been doing in league cricket, playing in the maroon, playing for West Indies.
06:02They said to me, four series coming up, India, Bangladesh, New Zealand
06:06and then one before the World Cup in Australia.
06:10So my thing was, I said to them, I'm going to miss New Zealand series,
06:16but I'm available for that three series.
06:20In the conversation that was held on the Zoom call,
06:25Mr Pollard and also Phil Simmons mentioned that
06:30if there's four series coming up,
06:32we want to know which one you're going to miss or which two you're going to miss
06:35because I'm not on a central contract for West Indies.
06:39So I'm not a hundred percent there in terms of
06:46how other players would be getting paid monthly
06:50to be a part of the whole thing and whatever.
06:54They agreed to everything that was mentioned.
06:58During that period, I missed a few leagues just to play for West Indies.
07:04No one looked at that.
07:06But they look at the one that I'm missing to go and play the hundred ball in England.
07:12And that's where I see that I'm not going to allow these guys to dictate my pace.
07:20I'm 34 years old and I mentioned to them straight forward.
07:24I say I have kids, I have responsibilities.
07:27I'm not going around the corner, I'm not beating around the bush.
07:31I'm telling them straight up.
07:33Because in a couple of years' time, when I stop playing cricket,
07:37who's going to be there for me?
07:39I've seen a lot of players come through the ranks,
07:42play for West Indies, being passionate.
07:45Oh, I am so passionate about playing.
07:47Yes, everyone is passionate.
07:49But life after cricket, when you're 38, 40,
07:53you can't use four World Cups and go to a supermarket.
07:57And it's just the mere fact.
07:59And that's why I'm so business headed and that's why I'm here.
08:03Me and Mr. Depeche, willing to take T4 Tech to the level
08:08that all the other big mega brands are at at the moment.
08:13So I'm disappointed to know that it's just one series I was going to miss out of four.
08:22And Mr. Ains say that it sounds like you want to choose
08:26when you want to play for West Indies and it can't work like that.
08:29We want players that are fully dedicated and fully committed to play for West Indies.
08:35I'm like, well, sir, I said my bit.
08:38And the year before, I missed a hundred balls.
08:42And I missed out on a lot of money.
08:45I don't look at it like that.
08:47I look at it like, OK, you know what?
08:50I'm playing for my country.
08:52This is more important than the money.
08:56But when I realized the communication was very poor.
09:01During last year, when I missed out on a hundred balls,
09:05I had a contract and it was like £125,000.
09:12I explained to these guys, I said, listen, we have 15 games before the World Cup.
09:19I'm going to play the first 12 games.
09:23I don't need any rest.
09:24I'm willing to put my body on the line to play all these games.
09:28But the last three games against Pakistan in Guyana, I have to go England.
09:33Because remember some COVID thing was still going on.
09:37Guyana was on the red list to go into the UK.
09:40So if I go Guyana, I would have to go Jamaica or somewhere for 10 days
09:46before I go to England.
09:49COVID testing and all those things I would have to go through to go into the country.
09:55So no one was talking to me about it leading up.
10:02I asked the coach, I said, coach, it's like 12, 15 days to go before I go England.
10:10The team want to know if I'm still coming.
10:12They want to know so they can get a replacement or whatever.
10:16At the last moment I tell them, no, I can't make it.
10:19They have to prepare.
10:20They have to try and choose which is the best player to replace a player like me.
10:25Now, they say, yeah, we're going to have a meeting sometime in this week.
10:31The week came, it passed.
10:34I contacted my agent.
10:36My agent contacted someone on the board.
10:40Nothing happened.
10:42And when I said to the coach again, I said, coach, what's going on?
10:45No one is talking to me.
10:47He's like, well, you have Nicholas Puran who also have a 100-ball contract.
10:53Kyron Pollard also have a 100-ball contract and they can't go.
10:57They're committed to play this series.
11:00I said, coach, you know, the thing is, we are big men.
11:06And I'm kind of disappointed knowing that, you know, you beat around the bush.
11:12Everyone beat around the bush.
11:14Ignore me and wait until the last moment you're going to tell me this.
11:22That's the thing about communication in the Caribbean and with the West Indies, the guys.
11:29I said to him, Nicholas Puran and Pollard, they're in a central contract for West Indies.
11:35It won't look good for them to leave and go and join a franchise team.
11:41The next thing is both of those guys, vice-captain and captain, they can't leave.
11:48It's like a captain abandoning the ship.
11:51Right?
11:52So, you know, I have no hate for them.
11:59Nothing.
12:00I'm just disappointed.
12:03I'm not disappointed in any player, anyone.
12:07The guys on the board who was involved in making these decisions.
12:13It weren't clear.
12:15Just tell me that, Russ, you can't go because we want to have the team
12:21gel in for the World Cup and everything and whatever.
12:26They're going to tell me no.
12:28You can go if you want, but if you don't get picked for the World Cup, it's on you.
12:34That was the instruction coming from the head of the board.
12:38And I was like, this sounds like a setup.
12:42So you're going to say in the media that I choose to go and play league cricket
12:50than choosing to play for West Indies when we had a discussion like a month before
12:56they select the 15-man squad.
12:58And I explained to them that I will have to leave during a certain time.
13:02They say, yeah, that's okay.
13:04But at the last minute, they know they weren't going to allow it.
13:09It's like, we're big men.
13:12Just be honest.
13:14And then I would prepare myself and say, you know what, I'll miss out on this money
13:18for the love of West Indies cricket.
13:21And I've done it.
13:22I've done it over the years.
13:24Miss out on Bangladesh Premier League, which paid well.
13:28Miss out on PSL that pays well to play for West Indies.
13:33I leave tournaments to go and join West Indies.
13:37And what we get paid in international cricket for West Indies is way less than
13:42what you can make from a franchise cricket.
13:45But that is a sacrifice that I take that no one talks about.
13:51But they are quick to say that we are all about the league cricket and the money
13:56and whatever.
13:59I always look at it.
14:01I said, look at these coaches.
14:03If they are getting a bigger offer somewhere else, they're gone.
14:07So no one is loyal.
14:09They're only loyal to the greener grass.
14:14So all these things happen.
14:18They went to the World Cup.
14:20I was hoping to take shame out of everyone's eye to hopefully they qualify
14:27for the Super 12.
14:29It didn't happen.
14:32It was a bitter moment.
14:34But most of my friends, people in Jamaica, family, they call me.
14:42Yo, Russ, you see what happened at West Indies last night?
14:46I'm so happy that they didn't qualify because they didn't pick you.
14:50And I look at the opposite.
14:52I said it's not good for us.
14:54West Indies was the number one team in the world in T20 a few years ago.
15:00And we have to play qualifiers.
15:03Our cricket is going backwards.
15:06And because they are not picking the best players, forcing players that are still
15:11active, still good to retire because of the system.
15:17So I'm thinking long-term, and that's the reason why I'm here.
15:21T4 Tech all the way.
15:23So, yeah, that's a bigger question.
15:27Why is it happening?
15:29Is it inter-island politics?
15:32Because obviously West Indies, if somebody looks at the bigger picture,
15:37West Indies cricket is going backwards because of what happened in the 90s
15:41when West Indies were at the top.
15:44Then it went down.
15:45Again, you guys played all the leagues and brought back West Indies the glory
15:49again.
15:50Again, now losing in the qualifiers.
15:53So what do you think is the way forward, and why is it happening?
15:58As I said before, I think players that are getting involved with the board that
16:08used to play the game, they are not happy with the money that we are making.
16:16And I'm not beating around the bush.
16:18They are not happy.
16:20And I always say this, whatever I'm getting paid to play this game now,
16:27I know in another 10, 15, 20 years, players are going to get ridiculous money
16:34to play this game.
16:36All I have to do, make whatever I can make now, make sure that my kids,
16:43my family is comfortable, and I can be comfortable for the rest of my life.
16:48That's all I'm thinking about.
16:50I'm not going to worry about a mediocre player that is getting $3 million now
16:59to play IPL.
17:00I ain't worrying about that.
17:03Players a long time ago, when IPL just started, that they used to get maybe
17:09half a million, they are now saying, I was better than this player,
17:14and I was getting half a million.
17:16Times change.
17:19Half a million dollars back then was a lot of money.
17:23You could have purchased four properties with half a million US.
17:26But they are not looking at that.
17:28They are looking at, okay, these players are on big bucks.
17:33Even commentary, big bucks, big bucks, big bucks.
17:37Why they sound so jealous?
17:40Think about the positive, right?
17:44Now, it's the same thing with West Indies cricket.
17:48What I think they need to do better is communicate with players that is
17:53well-established, like, for instance, myself, where they can come to an
17:59agreement and say, this is what we're going to do.
18:03This is how we're going to go about things.
18:06We're going to pick these guys to play this series.
18:11Our big brand players are going to be coming in for this series.
18:16And if I have four series or six series for the year, and I'm going to
18:20miss on two series, you can't fault me for that.
18:24Because maybe when I'm missing, when I'm playing those two series, or when
18:29I'm playing those four series, maybe two tournaments playing during that
18:34same time, so I'm missing out on earnings just to play those two series.
18:43I just think that is fair.
18:46So you're saying that you're still available for West Indies and you want
18:49to give priority to West Indies?
18:51Definitely, definitely, definitely.
18:54At 34, my game is experience.
18:58I think I know what to do at a certain time, a crucial moment of the game.
19:04And I know when to attack, I know when to be defensive.
19:09I know I can choose the bowlers where I'm going to get a big over from,
19:14choose an over to survive and not to get out.
19:18And that's when you play a lot of cricket.
19:22I've played over 400 T20 games.
19:24Across the world.
19:25Yeah, that's a lot of experience.
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