Former West Indies fast bowling great Sir Curtly Ambrose has criticised Andre Russel for playing in Lanka Premier League neglecting his duties as a West Indies cricketer.

Russel is playing in Sri Lanka for Colombo Kings after declining an invitation to represent the West Indies during the recent T20 series in New Zealand where the West Indies lost 2-0.

Russel received a No-Objection Certificate to play in the Lankan Premier League as he does not have a centralized contract with the West Indies cricket board.

“The guys who are in control, in authority, have to decide to make some serious decisions and stick with it for the cricket to move forward. I think that we are going about this thing too casual. Guys can do what they feel, come into the team when they feel like, go to ply their trade to the different franchises, leave West Indies cricket for dead and then come back into the team,” Ambrose said while speaking on Mason & Guest radio show in Barbados on Tuesday.

“To me, that is a no-no. We have to show some form of commitment to West Indies cricket. We have to make some drastic and hard decisions and stick with it and the cricket can get better.”

Chief selector Roger Harper said Russell declined the invitation to represent the West Indies citing the need to clear his mind after being in quarantine lockdown for both the Caribbean Premier League in Trinidad and Tobago where he played for the Jamaica Tallawahs franchise and then, the Indian Premier League in Abu Dhabi where he played for the Kolkata Knight Riders.

Ambrose said while he is not opposed to the player taking a break, once he returned to cricket, his priority should have been the West Indies.

“Because he wants to clear his head for a while to get his mind together, I have no problem with that because cricket is a high-pressure game. So if you want to clear your head for a while, take your mind off cricket I have no issues with that, but if you are going to reject playing for your nation, your country, and then two weeks later you’re playing for somebody else, that to me is a no-no,” Ambrose said.

“Where is the commitment? That tells me that you don’t want to play for the West Indies. If that is the case, just say so.”