The Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) mystery-spinner Sunil Narine, who spun a web around the star-studded Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) on Monday, despite one of the Indian Premier League’s (IPL) best-ever individual performances, will not be included in the West Indies T20 World Cup squad, confirmed national team captain Kieron Pollard.
It was the off-spinner’s 4 for 21 that sealed the deal for KKR and ensured their entry into the second qualifiers against the Delhi Capitals (DC) on Wednesday. Narine sent the RCB stars including captain Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Glenn Maxwell back to the pavilion and later returned as a pinch-hitter to hit Dan Christian for three sixes to give KKR a boost in the run chase.
The UAE leg has been fruitful for both KKR and Narine with 11 wickets coming from 8 matches at an economy of just 6.12 runs per over.
The two-time T20 World Cup winner will not be tempted to go with Narine despite his exemplary performance in the UAE leg in the IPL. Captain Pollard has cleared that there would not be any changes to the 15-member squad, barring injury or illness.
“If I add my two cents or my words on how his non-inclusion came about, then it could be spun- just like how he’s bowling on these Sharjah wickets- in all different directions. Let’s deal with the fifteen guys that we have here at this moment in time, which is more important, and see if we can rally around these guys and see if we can defend our title,” Pollard told ESPN cricinfo.
“I have no comments on that. Enough has been said on that. I think persons have explained the reason of his non-inclusion at this point in time. For me personally, I know Sunil Narine as a friend first, before an international cricketer. We grew up playing cricket together. He is a world-class cricketer," the all-rounder added.
The West Indian captain is also looking forward to having a ‘fit’ Andre Russell back in the team for the upcoming T20 World Cup. Russell hasn’t played for KKR since September 26 due to injury.
