“I really enjoy when there’s five overs or 10 overs left. I can come out and just play my natural game”

Image courtesy of: Zimbio

West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell believes that he is at his best when he is allowed to come in and play his “natural game” during the death overs.

Russell’s comments come after he hammered 42 runs off 13 balls, which included three boundaries and four sixes, during the West Indies’ 150-run win over Pakistan in the World Cup. In addition to his sensational performance with the bat, Russell also took three wickets to win the Man of the Match award.

“It has a lot to do with the situation,” Russell said. “I can bat if there’s 20 overs still left to go, but I think I really enjoy when there’s five overs or 10 overs left. I can come out and just play my natural game. It’s not like I have to be cagey. Especially being over 250 runs. I can just come and play my natural game from there.

“It’s a very good feeling to contribute big to the team and getting the Man of the Match award. At the end of the day, it’s the other contributions from the other guys. The way we batted we didn’t get the start we wanted.

“But the guys in the middle kept it together and set the innings perfect for me to come and do my thing. It just goes to show we’re a good team, and playing as a team you’re always going to get the job done if everyone contributes.”

After having made amends for their embarrassing four-wicket loss to Ireland by crushing Pakistan, Russell noted that the West Indies are eagerly awaiting for their match against Zimbabwe in Canberra on Tuesday.

“It’s very good. Everyone is laughing [and] happy,” he said. “It’s just always a fun dressing room, and I think from the last game things didn’t go well for us, and we just turned up today and wanted to show the world that we are not just a pushover. We are always a good team and we can fight. It happened today, so it was a very good performance.”