Sunil Narine Unavailable for T20 World Cup Selection

Sunil Narine has ruled himself out of a recall to West Indies’ squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, insisting that he’s closed the door on international cricket.

The 35 year old Narine is currently starring in the Indian Premier League for Kolkata Knight Riders and is the leading candidate for MVP after several stellar performances including a magnificent 109 not out from 56 balls against Rajasthan Royals last week, his maiden T20 century.

He is also KKR’s joint-leading wicket-taker, with nine victims at 22.11 with his offspin, at an economy rate of 7.10.

That form led West Indies’ T20I captain, Rovman Powell, to admit he had been “whispering in [Narine’s] ears” over the previous 12 months, ahead of what will be West Indies’ first home World Cup campaign since 2007.

Narine, however, retired from international cricket in November 2023, having not played for West Indies since 2019, and in a statement issued by KKR, he insisted he was not about to change his mind.

He says he’s truly flattered and humbled that his performances recently have moved many people to publicly express their wish for him to come out of retirement and play in the upcoming T20 World Cup.

However he says he’s made peace with that decision and that the door is now closed and he’ll be supporting the team who take the field in June for West Indies.