Windies lose Russell for T20 series

Andre Russell was initially called up by Windies for the final two ODIs against England but has been judged to be unfit to play

Windies all-rounder Andre Russell has been ruled out of the Twenty20 series against England after assessment by medical staff.

Russell was added to the squad for the last two one-day internationals to replace the injured Kemar Roach but was not selected for the matches and has now been released for the final leg of the tour.

Cricket West Indies said: “A CWI medical panel outlined that Andre Russell has been withdrawn from the squad, due to an adverse reaction he had to a medical procedure done in Dubai before he flew to the Caribbean.”

Selectors opted to retain the rest of the one-day squad, including Jason Holder as captain ahead of the regular T20 skipper Carlos Brathwaite, but only made the announcement publicly on the eve of the match.

Chief selector Courtney Browne explained: “After discussion with the coach surrounding preparation for the World Cup, it was proposed that we retain the ODI squad to play the T20 matches against England.

“After deliberations with captain, coach and the panel, we all are of the opinion that it would aid in the team’s World Cup preparations.”

Watch the first T20 international between Windies and England from 7.30pm on Tuesday live on Sky Sports Cricket.