The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has rejected a request from the Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (T&TCB), owners of the Red Force, to allow embattled off-spinner Sunil Narine to take part in the upcoming Nagico Super50 series that will be played in T&T and St Kitts from January 7.
Narine has been banned from bowling by the International Cricket Council (ICC), who deemed his bowling action to be illegal. Narine, who bowled this country to the Nagico title this season with figures of six wickets for nine runs, recently failed a test on his bowling action at the Loughborough University testing centre in England.
He was reported during the second ODI of the West Indies versus Sri Lanka series in Sri Lanka in November. He visited England a couple weeks ago and was tested. He was made to bowl with the similar action he used during the match in which he was reported and it was found to be above the 15-degree bending that is allowable.
A source told the Guardian that the T&TCB’s request was turned down since it was felt that the WICB did not want to go contrary to the findings of the ICC. “The WICB did not think it wise to allow Narine to take the field until such time as a test was done which showed that his action is legal. It would be contrary to the ICC’s findings if the Board allowed him to play without allowing him to prove that his action was legitimate,” said the source.
Narine would have to get clearance from the ICC in order to get back into action on the regional scene. However, Narine will be able to take part in the domestic league which begins in January after the Nagico Super50. He is expected to line up for Queen’s Park Cricket Club.
Narine will be looking to get back into cricket as soon as possible because his future in the lucrative Indian Premier League (IPL) will also be at stake. It was in India during the Champions League last year that Narine was banned from bowling in the finals of the tournament by the Kolkata Knight Riders.
He came back from that set back and was allowed to make his international return against Sri Lanka recently. He missed the World Cup in Australia/New Zealand because he was working on his action.
However, as soon as he returned against Sri Lanka, he ran afoul of the officials.
