West Indies’ chances in the upcoming one-day series against India have been dealt a severe blow, with the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) opting to pull champion off-spinner Sunil Narine from the 14-man squad.
The move comes after the Trinidadian right-arm spinner was twice reported for having a suspected illegal action during the recent Champions League Twenty20 in India and was subsequently banned from bowling in the tournament.
Narine has been replaced by Barbadian left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.
In a release the WICB said the decision to withdraw Narine from the tour was taken after discussions with the player, the selection panel and the West Indies team management, and said the time off would allow the bowler the opportunity to have his action assessed.
Chairman of the selectors Clive Lloyd said he was “disappointed” by the latest development which saw Narine reported by umpires following Kolkata Knight Riders’ final preliminary CLT20 game last week and then following the semi-finals.
Lloyd, the legendary former West Indies captain, said West Indies was requesting “clarity” on the situation so the team could plan their way forward.
“I am disappointed that our best bowler could suddenly be out of the tour. I am quite disappointed about the procedure that surrounded the ‘calling’ of Sunil in the Champions (League) tournament,” Lloyd said.
The tour kicked off this week with West Indies playing the first of five One-Day Internationals at the Nehru Stadium in Kochi.
