Keeping the twilight years bright

Knowing every part of his body has proven a major advantage for Jamaican cricketer Andre Russell as he edges closer to 40.

At 38, the explosive all-rounder made a high-profile return to the Jamaica Kingsmen at the start of the 2026 Caribbean Premier League (CPL) season, featuring in the team’s three defeats before helping them secure an important victory last Saturday night.

Having recently retired from international cricket, Russell attributed his tally of 104 runs and seven wickets in four matches to a disciplined lifestyle and changes to his diet.

He has already created CPL history this season, becoming the first player to score more than 2,000 runs and take 100 wickets in the tournament.

After helping the Kingsmen record their first victory on Saturday, the legendary all-rounder told The Gleaner he had to elevate his level of personal discipline to maintain his edge.

“I think it’s diet and sacrifices. You want to go and drink the rum and do all these things. But if you still want to play and still want to hit sixes in the crowd and get these types of feedback and winning games in front of your home crowd, where everything started for me here. And it means that you have to make sacrifices. You have to eat healthy, you have to take care of your body. When you don’t want to practice, you have to go in the gym and do something, just to keep your body moving. At 38, listen; I know every part of my body, and that is so important as a player. I love to be on the massage bed and all of these things just to keep my body fresh; and, you know, recovery is very important as well,” Russell said.

With his own body under control, Russell also understands the importance of inspiring the next generation.

“So coming this far and getting to where I am, this opportunity is everything for me in this world. So I don’t want to take things for granted. I had a very humble beginning and I remember that. I feel like it’s my last opportunity and I don’t want to miss that. I want to inspire the kids. If I’m playing, I put a passion into the game – well, I try – so kids can get inspired looking at someone who’s playing at my age,” reasoned Russell.

OLDEST PLAYER

At 47, South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir, who represents the Guyana Amazon Warriors, is the oldest player in the CPL, making Russell’s journey one he can readily appreciate.

“Russ and I, we don’t have many opportunities left. So we have to take every game very seriously. You play for your pride, you play for the people who you represent, your family’s support and kids all over the world. You never know which part of the globe kids are watching you. People are in hospitals; you can put a smile on their faces because of your performances. So, I mean, it’s a difficult time in the world at the moment, but as long as, I think Russ especially, because he hit a lot of sixes, so he put a big smile. I put a little bit smaller smile, so I give him the credit,” Tahir told The Gleaner with a laugh.

Russell, who returned to the Jamaican franchise after stints with the Trinbago Knight Riders and the now-defunct Jamaica Tallawahs, also expressed gratitude for the CPL’s return to Sabina Park.

Following Saturday’s victory, he said he was optimistic fans would turn out again today.

“It means a lot, not just to us as players, but I think for this lovely island that, you know, cricket is such a big sport in this island. When you talk about sports, you’re talking about football, track and field, cricket. We are happy to have the Government back on our side and we are getting the energy that we need.

“I haven’t seen this at Sabina Park for a while; and even when West Indies come out to play here, we don’t see this type of crowd. So I think this will motivate, you know, all these fans that came out tonight (Saturday), and they might try to make an effort to come back Tuesday night, even though it’s a workweek. But when fans come out to watch cricket and we win like this in such an exciting manner, they’re gonna try and come to see the final game.”

More than 8,000 fans turned out on Saturday to watch the Jamaica Kingsmen record their first victory of the 2026 CPL season.