Sunil Narine’s ban extends to international games

By Nisha Shetty

The future is looking cloudy for Sunil Narine, who was banned from bowling off-breaks in the Indian Premier League 2015 on Wednesday, after it emerged that the ban on the West Indian spinner extends to international cricket as well.

When Wisden India checked with the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday, it was confirmed that the ban applied to international cricket too, following the decision taken during the ICC board meeting on April 16 in Dubai.

During the meeting, a provision was added to the laws that enabled the ICC to recognise suspensions "as long as the bowler had been assessed by the member country using the ICC testing protocol at an ICC accredited testing centre".

Narine, who plays for Kolkata Knight Riders, had sought a biomechanical analysis of his remodelled bowling action at the Sri Ramachandra Arthroscopy and Sports Science Centre in Chennai after being reported for a dodgy action during the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad in Visakhapatnam on April 22.

On Wednesday, a Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) statement confirmed that while he was permitted to bowl variations, including the knuckle ball and the quicker delivery, he was barred from bowling his offspinners. If he continued to bowl them, Narine risked being suspended from bowling in BCCIorganised matches.

Narine, who has now been reported thrice in six months in a BCCI-run tournament, faces international suspension if the on-field umpires in the IPL 2015 report him again. Narine was earlier called twice during the Champions League Twenty20 2014 and was barred from bowling in the final, but, at the time, the ban wasn’t recognised by the ICC. Narine also skipped West Indies’ tour of India in late 2014 and later withdrew from their World Cup squad.

(Wisden India)