Bengaluru: On a hot streak in the battle for the purple cap, Sunil Narine has indeed hit a purple patch this season. But right now there is more on his plate than the impressive number of wickets (20 and counting) he has picked up this season.
Even as 2012 champions Kolkata Knight Riders prepare for the final assault at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium, here on Sunday, their lethal weapon, Narine is caught in a quandary between club and country.
With the West Indies Cricket Board setting June 1 as the deadline for the players to join the camp for the Test series against New Zealand beginning in Kingston, Jamaica from June 8, the curveball has caught KKR on the back foot. Although no team officials were willing to go on record on the current status, Narine’s participation in the final is all but certain.
The team is firm that he will be a part of the side in their bid for a second IPL title and is currently negotiating with the WICB to defer Narine departure. As the situation currently stands, the Trinidad mystery spinner is expected to join the camp in Barbados only after the final.
The turn of events is not entirely shocking considering, the WICB had stretched the deadline to join the camp from May 22 to June 1, to facilitate their players’ IPL commitments.
While the two parties continue to find a workable solution, with a chartered flight to take him to the camp, being one option, the ‘West Indies first’ policy proposed by Richard Pybus, the director of cricket may prove to be the biggest stumbling block.
If Narine does play Sunday’s final it will mean that he will reach home on June 3, at the earliest. Although the 26-year-old may miss the first Test, he remains in the 15-member squad and will be eligible for selection for the other two Tests.
