Sunil Narine’s bowling action has received clearance from the man who was responsible for monitoring him over the weekend.
In fact, Michael Ragoonath who was match referee for both matches in which Queen’s Park were involved over the weekend, said he received no negative reports from any of the umpires who officiated when Narine bowled on the weekend. “I stood as match referee for both games and the only way I can act is if a bowler is reported by the onfield umpires.
“Sunil played in both games and the umpires did not report anything to me. What I did was to video tape his bowling to have a look at it and when we sat down and viewed the footage, we found him to be well within the limits allowed for bending of the arm.”
Narine was reported for illegal bowling action against Sri Lanka in November when he represented the West Indies in the limited overs series in that country. He was banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) from bowling but has been allowed to work on his action by the T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) in their domestic league.
Despite this, Narine was selected on the West Indies squad for the World T20 which starts in India in March. However, he must undergo a number of test at Loughborough in England before he is cleared to play in the tournament. At the moment he is working with bowling coach Carl Crowe who has extended his stint with Narine until Friday.
Manager of Queen’s Park Cricket Club (QPCC) Jeffrey Guillen revealed yesterday that the club extended the Crowe’s stay until Friday. “We thought that the more attention Sunil gets at this time was crucial before he flies off for his test, so he will continue his work with Crowe.”
Guillen was also at the grounds to watch Narine in action. “On the weekend he looked good and is bowling quite well. The issue I think would not be passing the test but getting ready for the World T20, which is major. We are confident that he would be ready but at the moment his ambition is to get past the test, which he should take in about two or three weeks time.”
On Saturday, national coaches Gus Logie and Kelvin Williams made the trek to Wilson Road in Penal, to see Narine in action against Clarke Road in the domestic 50 overs tournament. His coach at QPCC, David Furlonge said that the coaches were all happy with what they saw of him and was particularly pleased with his progress as his spell went on.
The West Indies get their campaign on the way on March 16, when they face England in Mumbai.
