Sunil Narine to take part in IPL final; to skip West Indies vs New Zealand Tests

Sunil Narine

West Indian spin bowler Sunil Narine has decided to skip the West Indies vs New Zealand Test series, to play in the Indian Premier League final which is scheduled for June 1.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) had given the mystery spinner jUne 1 as the deadline to join the West Indian training camp in preparation for the Test series which will commence on June 8. This is one of the first measures taken by the West Indian board in what they call a “West Indies First” policy, where they hope to get players to put the cricketing nation’s interests above T20 franchises.

Narine hasn’t been as successful in Tests as he has been in the shorter formats of the game. He has picked up 21 wickets from 6 Tests, at an average of 40.52. Out of the 21 wickets, 18 have been against New Zealand including a 6-wicket haul in the last Test he played at Hamilton last December.

The 26-year-old has been the main stay of the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling line-up this season, picking up 20 wickets in the tournament and going at an economy of just over 6. Narine’s availability in the final will be a big boost to the Shahrukh Khan-owned franchise as they try to get their hands on the IPL crown for the second time in three years. The team from Kolkata will face the Kings XI Punjab in the summit clash, in Bangalore on Sunday.