Narine pulls out of West Indies’ World Cup squad

Off-spinner Sunil Narine withdrew from the West Indies squad for the cricket World Cup because he said he was not fully confident in his revised bowling action.

The West Indies Cricket Board said a replacement will be named shortly.

Narine’s action was reported as suspect in India in September, but he was suspended only from matches in India. He rehabilitated himself, and preliminary tests showed he was bowling legally when he was picked by West Indies this month.

However, according to a board statement, Narine ‘requires more time to be able to confidently bowl for a sustained period in international cricket with his new action’.

Narine helped Trinidad and Tobago win the West Indies regional one-day title on Sunday with remarkable figures of 8-3-9-6.

“But going in to the World Cup is a little too much too soon and, after consulting the WICB, for both West Indies and my sake we have decided to delay my return to international cricket until I am 100 per cent confident in all that I do,” Narine said in the statement.

His withdrawal was a blow to West Indies, as Narine was ranked second in the ODI bowling ranking when he was suspended in September.