Russell marks captaincy debut with ton and hattrick
A century in T20 is exciting, so is a hat-trick. But if a player achieves both in a game, that becomes exhilarating. All-rounder Andre Russell did exactly that in his first match as Jamaica Tallawahs captain in a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) match against Shah Rukh Khanowned Trinbago Knight Riders.
Russell claimed a hat-trick and hit a record 40-ball hundred in the CPL to cement his place as one of the best T20 allrounders in the world. Thanks to his effort, the Tallawahs registered a victory over Trinbago Knight Riders with three balls to spare.
The 30-year-old Russell had taken some punishment in his opening three overs before Russell struck with a hat-trick in the final over of the innings.
Russell removed Brendon McCullum, Dwayne Bravo and Denesh Ramdin with the score on 216/3. The Trinbago posted 223/6.
The Tallawahs’ reply was stuttering at 41-5 when Russell arrived at the crease, but – after being dropped early - he blasted the Knight Riders bowlers in brutal fashion.
Twelve sixes in his first 40 balls helped him race to three figures faster than anyone else in the competition’s history. He reached the milestone with a drive over longoff in the 17th over and guided his team home with an unbeaten 121 in 19.3 overs.
“First game of captain at this level, it was a good start and I’m going to enjoy while it lasts,” said Russell.
“The hard work has been paying off and I’m happy I could contribute big for my team.”
Brief scores: Trinbago Knight Riders 223 for 6 in 20 overs (Munro 61, McCullum 56, Russell 3/38); Jamaica Tallawahs 225 for 6 in 19.3 overs (Russell 121*, Lewis 51, Ali Khan 3-24)