PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad – Former West Indies spinners Roger Harper and Rangy Nanan are eager to see Sunil Narine and Devendra Bishoo bowl in tandem during the regional team’s tour to Sri Lanka in October.
Bishoo, who was ICC emerging player of the year in 2011, made a successful return to the West Indies team in the recent homes series against Australia after three years in the international wilderness.
Narine, the 2012 ICC emerging player of the year, has only played six Tests due to a combination of questionable selection policies, the then Test form of Shane Shillingford (before he was called for chucking), Narine’s own action issues and Windies series clashes with the Indian Premier League.
However, playing together for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in this year’s Caribbean Premier League (CPL), they gave a glimpse of what they could do once paired in West Indies colours.
“The conditions in Sri Lanka typically suit spinners and although the Sri Lankans are good players of spin, if Bishoo and Narine are picked and play together, I certainly think they will be big threats,” stated Harper, who was the leading spinner of the 1980s West Indies team.
Nanan, who was widely regarded as one of the best spinners in domestic cricket during the heyday of Caribbean cricket dominance featuring a famous proliferation of fast bowlers, reiterated Harper’s beliefs.
“I definitely am looking forward to seeing them bowl together.
Watching the current India versus Sri Lanka Test series, we have seen spinners Ravi Ashwin and Rangana Herath play leading roles in the two Test match wins,” said Nanan, who was a national selector and TTCB board member for many years after his retirement in 1991.
He continued: “They are highly skilled spinners who can make a big difference on those wickets, so I hope the selectors pick them both during the Test series.” “All seemed well also with Sunil in the CPL regarding his action after he was reported, so he should be given a chance to play once selectors have no worries about this,” the 62-year-old Nanan concluded.
Narine was one the five regular West Indies IPL players that coach Phil Simmons had planned talks with in recent months about their availability to play Test cricket under his tenure. He revealed to Simmons though that he is still concerned about his action in the longer format but is available for One-Day Internationals and T20s.
