Russell withdraws from Pakistan T20 series

Cape Town - The West Indies have replaced star all-rounder Andre Russell in their T20 squad to face Pakistan after he withdrew for personal reasons, with Kesrick Williams called up instead.

Russell pulled out of the trip to the UAE with less than a week before the first match, so Williams, who was a star for the Jamaica Tallawahs at this year's CPL, got the last-minute call.

"Russell, one of the game's leading all-rounders and member of the West Indies World T20 championship-winning team, has asked to withdraw from the series to attend to a personal matter," the WICB said in a statement.

It's a big blow for the Windies though, as Russell is widely considered the best T20 player in the world, having won nearly every trophy the format has to offer, both domestically and internationally.

Whether this decision has anything to do with his anti-doping hearing next week is unknown. He is under fire after allegedly missing three doping spot checks in a calendar year.