West Indies all-rounder Andre Russell will play his first competitive cricket match in a year when he lines up for the Jamaica Scorpions who will bow into action on Friday against the Leeward Islands hurricanes in the regional Super50 tournament in Antigua.

The day night match to be played at the Coolidge cricket ground will get underway at 1pm Jamaica time.

Russell is free to play cricket again having served a year-long ban for a whereabouts rule violation under the World Anti-Doping Agency WADA.

Meanwhile explosive batsman Chris Gayle will also make a long awaited return to the Scorpions squad having last represented the team over five years ago.

The rest of the squad includes Nikita Miller, Chadwick Walton, Rovman Powell, Brandon King, Christopher Lamont, Odean Smith, Alwyn Williams, Andre McCarthy, Peat salmon, Oshane Thomas, and Gavin Wallace.