Sunil Narine has suddenly found himself between a rock and a hard place.
If the spinner remains in India to play for Kolkata Knight Riders in Sunday's IPL 2014 final, as he wants to, he will miss the West Indies Cricket Board's [WICB] June 1 deadline for joining the preparatory camp for the imminent home series against New Zealand, disqualifying him from selection.
"It is his decision," WICB's chief executive officer Michael Muirhead said on Friday. "The cut-off date for joining the camp was moved forward from May 22 to June 1 specifically to allow those players involved in the IPL the opportunity for more matches. Anyone who is in breach won't be considered for selection."
He indicated that if Narine misses the deadline, he would be unavailable for the first Test in Kingston between June 8 and 12; Narine would remain in the chosen squad of 15 and be eligible for the remainder of the series.
Speaking by telephone from his Kolkata office yesterday, Knight Riders' chief executive officer Venky Mysore spoke on Narine's behalf.
"This is in no way an act of defiance by Sunil," Mysore said. "He is seeking the board's flexibility for a couple of days leeway so that he can turn out for Knight Riders on Sunday.
"He has told us that he came to do a job and wants to see it through to its conclusion. He also wants to represent West Indies against New Zealand. You can understand the quandary that he is in."
Mysore said the IPL management had put Narine's case to the WICB. Narine has also been in touch with Wavell Hinds, president and chief executive of the West Indies Players Association (WIPA).
There was a similar situation prior to West Indies' tour of England in 2009.
Chris Gayle, then captain, applied for an extension to play one more match for his franchise team in the IPL, held that year in South Africa. The WICB acceded to the request and Gayle arrived in London two days before the Lord's Test, leading to widespread criticism of the decision.
The WICB has now taken its position following its acceptance of the "West Indies First" policy proposed by director of cricket, Richard Pybus, last March.
This lists the principle of the "prioritisation of Test cricket as the pinnacle of West Indies cricket and its protection through priority team selection and strategic scheduling".
Narine is one of six players with WICB Grade A contracts for 2014, each worth US$120,000; Dwayne Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Chris Gayle, Darren Sammy and Marlon Samuels are the others.
"For West Indies cricket to thrive and to grow, they (the players) have to make themselves available," Muirhead said at the time. "At the same time, we don't want to limit the amount or prevent their opportunities to earn."
He added then that there were no scheduled matches or tours in 2014 during the period of the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) or the Indian Premier League (IPL). The IPL final has thrown a spanner into the works.
Muirhead said Narine and Gayle, who travelled to Germany from his IPL stint with Royal Challengers Bangalore for treatment on his back injury, had advised the WICB on June 24 that they would be back by June 1.
That changed for Narine in the past two weeks as Knight Riders, at one point seemingly out of contention, reeled off eight consecutive victories to qualify for the final.
"We are not victimizing him in any way," Muirhead stated. "Like all the players, he was aware of the stipulation under the NOC (No Objection Clause) well in advance."
The NOC released West Indies players for the IPL with the stipulation that they would be available no later than one week before a Test series. The camp, currently held in Barbados, wraps up on June 3. It is, according to Muirhead, the opportunity for "meaningful practice and developing the team ethic".
Predictably, Mysore acknowledged that Knight Riders wanted Narine to stay and play the final.
"He has been a vital cog in our team since he joined us in 2012," Mysore said. "He is the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2014 with 20 wickets but, just as importantly, he has been a tremendous team man."
Mysore said the franchise, owned by Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan, has undertaken to fly Narine back by the fastest available flights should the WICB alter its position. He estimated that he could join the West Indies squad by June 3, five days before the first Test.
Such a scenario now seems unlikely.
Without Narine, West Indies would be short of a key bowler who has made his reputation principally in the shorter versions of the game (he is ranked No.3 in ODIs and No.2 in T20 Internationals by the ICC), but who has 18 of his 23 Test wickets against New Zealand, in two matches in the Caribbean in 2012 and one in New Zealand last December.
Off-spinner Shane Shillingford, returning from his second clearance following suspension for an illegal delivery, and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, who played the last of his 17 Tests almost three-and-a-half years ago, are the other spinners in the squad.
Narine to miss test series after putting Windies second
REUTERS - West Indies spinner Sunil Narine will miss next month's three-test series against New Zealand after opting to stay with his Indian Premier League team, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has said.
The "Windies First Policy" of the WICB required the 26-year-old spinner to join the training camp by Sunday, also the day when his Twenty20 team plays the final.
"The onus of the WICB is to protect the integrity of international cricket at all times," the board's Director of Cricket Richard Pybus said in a statement.
"International cricket, and specifically test cricket, is priority and requires dedicated preparation which is integral to team success.
"The WICB policy requires players to commit to sufficient preparation leading in to a series as part of a culture of excellence," Pybus added.
Difficult to read and more successful in the shorter formats, Narine has played six tests claiming 21 wickets, 18 of them coming against New Zealand.
His absence would force West Indies to look at off-spinner Shane Shillingford, just back from a suspension for an illegal bowling action, and towering left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn who played his last test in December 2010.
Narine will be considered for the two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand in July, the WICB said.
Kingston hosts the first test from June 8, followed by matches in Port-of-Spain (June 16-20) and Guyana (June 26-30).
Trinidad and Tobago Minister Asks WICB to Reconsider Decision on Sunil Narine
Port of Spain, Trinidad: Trinidad and Tobago Sports Minister Anil Roberts has asked the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) to reconsider its decision to rule off-spinner Sunil Narine ineligible for selection for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand.
Narine opted to stay behind in India to represent Kolkata Knight Riders in Sunday's Indian Premier League (IPL) final against Kings XI Punjab, instead of returning to join the ongoing West Indies camp by the stipulated June 1 deadline, reports CMC.
The WICB announced Friday that Narine's decision would rule him out of consideration for the three-Test series, starting at Sabina Park, Jamaica June 8.
However, in a lengthy official letter to WICB president Dave Cameron, Roberts argued that Narine's unavailability for the bulk of the ongoing preparation camp should not make him ineligible for selection.
He said while he understood and agreed with the "country first policy", Narine's inclusion in no way compromised this principle
"I put it to you today that allowing Narine to participate in IPL's final as a West Indian, as a 'Trinbagonian', as an ambassador of Caribbean brilliance and then ensuring that he arrives at the West Indian training camp post haste does not, will not, and cannot breach any of the tenets of your 'country first policy'," Roberts wrote.
"In fact, this addendum to the policy which may serve Narine today, will serve Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith, Lendl Simmons, Krishmar Santokie and any other great West Indies cricketer in the future."
"Narine is not on holiday with his family, he is not shopping, and he is not viewing the NBA Playoffs. He is plying his professional trade in what stands as the epitome of international quality cricket in the world today," he further wrote.
"He is plying that trade not for himself but for the people of the Caribbean who will turn on their TV sets and tune in with 1.3 billion people across the globe to support the West Indian Narine," said Roberts.
Roberts, a former Olympic swimming coach, said the fact Narine was participating in such a game of the magnitude of the IPL final, was in itself the ultimate preparation.
In fact, he argued that by performing in the IPL final, Narine would perhaps be more mentally prepared for the upcoming Test series than other members of the West Indies squad that were attending the camp.
"Therefore, for us to ask any player to forego the opportunity to grasp greatness to attend the first few days of a training camp is itself in breach of the very policy that it is designed to uphold, for there can be no greater preparation or training, than plying your trade at peak adrenalin, peak emotional levels, peak risk factors, and peak psychological levels."
"He will face peak global scrutiny against the peak global performers in a final to be crowned the best in the world. On June 1, Narine will be at his peak performance level," the Trinidad and Tobago Sports Minister said.
He added: "So on the contrary, Narine, by clawing and fighting his way into the final is in fact ahead of the curve as compared to his other West Indies team mates in terms of preparation for the upcoming home series."
Roberts also contended that by excluding Narine from selection, the WICB were hampering the team's chances of winning the Test series, noting that without the Trinidadian spinner, the regional side would find it difficult to bowl New Zealand out twice.
"Dear Sir, our beloved West Indies team, training camp or no training camp, Miami Heat or no Miami Heat, LeBron James or no LeBron James, has been unable over the past decade to take twenty wickets in five days on a consistent basis. This in essence is what is needed to win a Test match," Roberts wrote.
"To achieve this, a globally respected strike bowler is required. Narine fits this bill to a "T" and is now arguably the number one bowler in the world. He is also still regarded as a mystery spinner, who the best in the world have been unable to figure out, even in this age of modern technology and systematic analysis."
"The inclusion of Narine increases the chances of the West Indies team of taking 20 wickets in five days to win a Test match," he added
