'Bowling rubbish' - Ian Healy lashes out at KKR star for poor performance in ongoing AUS vs WI T20Is
Australia put on a 200-plus score and West Indies failed to chase it down for the second time on a row.
Legendary Australian wicketkeeper Ian Healy has recently lashed out at KKR allrounder Andre Russell for his disappointing returns in the second T20I between Australia and West Indies. Russell started the final over of Australia’s innings with a high full toss, which was swung by Tim David for a six. He kept missing his mark and a belligerent Glenn Maxwell made him pay for it. The WI allrounder went for 25 runs in his final over and his final figures read 4-0-59-0.
Healy felt that Russell was bowling shin-high full tosses, which was rubbish. Talking to SENQ Breakfast, he said, "He was bowling rubbish. He didn’t have to target him. He was bowling him shin-high full tosses.
“Then he’d bowl a wide one which he (Maxwell) would carve up, which is one of his great shots. Then he’d walk across, he would get a half volley on leg stump, and he’d flick it for six. Andre got aggressive, but he should get aggressive at himself because that was absolute poo," he explained.
‘It’s pathetic that the West Indies underuse him’ – Ian Healy on Russell’s batting position
Healy also felt that West Indies underuse Russell’s batting abilities. He stated, “Where did he bat? Lower than midfield, he batted seven. That’s ridiculous. But he’s obviously selfish and that’s all he’s batting at. Otherwise, you’d have him at four, especially in a run-chase like that. It’s pathetic that the West Indies underuse him like we have underused Tim David in the past, but they’re slowly moving him up behind Maxwell," he stated.
Australia defeated West Indies in the second T20I by 34 runs and have taken an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series with one more game remaining. The next T20I will be played at Perth on February 13. With the T20 World Cup not too far away, both teams are looking to solidify their squads.
Read: Ian Chappell happy to see this Indian star dropped from the squad
Meanwhile, Andre Russell will be seen in action for Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2024. He has been one of the KKR’s most important players and is likely to play a key role this year too.