West Indies allrounder Andre Russell says strength training and late night cardio vascular exercises to YouTube videos have formed important part of his training routines and are responsible for improvements in his bowling speed.
The 26-year-old Jamaican cricketer has improved his speed and accuracy with the ball, and showed good all-round form in the local league in South Africa recently.
Russell will suit up for West Indies against South Africa in the upcoming three-match T20 International Series which starts today.
“I have been doing a lot of strength work. I am always doing strength work but I have been having a lot of chat with experience guys who have been playing the game for a while just to strengthen the most important areas,” said Russell.
“I have been doing a lot of core work in my room like late nights .If I can’t sleep I just sacrifice the time to do all of those things”.
Russell is one of five players on the West Indies T20 squad who played in South Africa a little less than a month ago, in the domestic 20-over tournament.
“I watch some 10 minutes, 15 minutes abdominal work out sessions on YouTube,” said Russell, an athletic fielder with a good throwing arm.
“So I think those things strengthen my body and get me a bit stronger so I can hit the ball a bit further now and also bowl in 140s and 145s and you know it’s a good feeling”.
The West Indies, known to be better at playing the T20 format as opposed to test, will be attempting to avenge a two-nil defeat to South Africa in the test series.
Russell believes he has an important role to play in the T20 series and says he is reader to deliver with both bat and ball.
“I am just going to be Andre Russell, put 100 per cent out on the field and then when I get my chance to bowl I come, do the simple things, get the job done then contribute big with the bat as usual,” he said.
“So it’s going to be a good contest and I think I am ready and I am up for it”.