Cricket West Indies (CWI) chief selector Roger Harper while talking about the selection of right-arm spinner Sunil Narine in the squad against Sri Lanka said that the latter had indicated that he is not ready to return to international cricket.
West Indies are set to host Sri Lanka for a long tour starting next week. They are slated to play 2 Tests, 3 ODIs, and 3 T20Is matches.
Cricket West Indies on Thursday named the squad for the T20I and ODI series against Sri Lanka. The three-match T20I series will be played at Coolidge Cricket Ground, Antigua followed by the three-match ODI series which will be played at the Sir Vivian Richards Cricket Stadium.
The T20I squad saw the likes of Chris Gayle and veteran pacer Fidel Edwards returning to the team after a gap of two and nine years respectively.
However, veteran spinner Sunil Narine, who has been a regular feature in the T20 leagues around the world, was not included in the squad, which surprised everyone.
Addressing the same Cricket West Indies lead selector (CWI) Roger Harper said that Sunil Narine had himself indicated that he is not ready to return to international cricket.
"Sunil Narine had indicated earlier that he is not ready to return to international cricket. He's still fine-tuning his game and getting himself ready. From that perspective, he wasn't considered for this series." Roger Harper told ESPNCricinfo.
Sunil Narine has not played for West Indies in any format since August 2019. However, in Narine's absence Akeal Hosein, Kevin Sinclair, and Fabian Allen will be West Indies' main spin options in the T20I series against Sri Lanka.
The T20I matches between West Indies and Sri Lanka will be played on March 3, 5, and 7 while ODIs will be played on 10, 12, and 14.
(ANI/ESPNCricinfo inputs)
