The 37-year-old is part of coach Daren Sammy's 15-man T20I squad set to do battle with the Australians, starting Monday. Russell has only been a T20I player since 2019 but has been a long-serving member of West Indies cricket, having made his debut 15 years ago in a Test match against Sri Lanka.
Should the all-rounder feature in the opening two fixtures, he will retire with 86 T20I caps, averaging 22 with the bat at a strike rate of 163. Impressively, he's launched 90 sixes in the shortest format. Russell was part of the 2012 and 2016 ICC World T20-winning West Indies teams.
In ODIs, the explosive Russell scored over 1000 runs and took 70 wickets, averaging 27 and 31 respectively.
"Words cannot explain what it meant," read Russell's statement.
"To represent the West Indies has been one of the proudest achievements in my life. When I was a kid, I did not expect to get to this level, but the more you start to play and get to love the sport, you realise what you can achieve. This inspired me to become better because I wanted to leave a mark in the maroon colours and become an inspiration to others.
"I love playing for the West Indies and I love playing at home in front of my family and friends where I get to showcase my talent and produce more high-quality performances. I want to finish my international career on a high while being a role model for the next generation of cricketers coming out of the Caribbean."
Matthew Forde will be Russell's replacement in the squad against Australia for the St Kitts leg of the series.
The West Indies cricket board (CWI) has sent invites to a trio of legends - Brian Lara, Clive Lloyd and Viv Richards - to take part in an emergency meeting following the Test series defeat to Australia.
West Indies captain Roston Chase has described his team's batting as "embarrassing" after being bowled out for just 27 in the third Test against Australia, the second lowest total in Test history.
West Indies clawed their way back into the pink-ball Test at Sabina Park on Sunday, reducing Australia to 99 for six at stumps on day two.
Spinner Nathan Lyon was left out of Australia's Test team for the first time in over a decade for the third Test against the West Indies in Barbados.
