West Indies mystery spinner, Sunil Narine, announced his retirement from international cricket via Instagram last Sunday (November 5), ahead of the final preliminary match for T&T Red Force in the CG United Super50 Cup.
Narine, who last played for West Indies in August of 2019, ended his eight-year international career in a post stating: “I appreciate it has been over four years since I last played for West Indies but today I am announcing my retirement from International cricket.”
The 35-year-old continued with: “Publicly I am a man of few words, but privately there are a few people who have given me unwavering support throughout my career and helped me realize my dream of representing the West Indies and to you, I express my deepest gratitude.”
T&T Cricket Board (TTCB) president Azim Bassarath expressed his sadness with the departure.
“On behalf of the T&T Cricket Board, I want to wish Sunil a very happy retirement. He was one of the best spinners in the world and is still very well respected worldwide, playing for the different franchises in T20 and T10 tournaments,” Bassarath told Guardian Media.
Bassarath believes Narine will be a great addition to the West Indies Cricket academy, to give advice and support to the upcoming players.
He said, “It is our intention to use him in our cricket academy programmes and of course, he will be called to speak to the young teams that will be representing T&T at the age group level.
"And I know for a fact that as long as he’s available and is in Trinidad, he will come to impart his knowledge and experience to these young players.”
During a training session, head coach David Furlonge was pleased with the decision made by Narine and is now looking forward to the work he will be putting in with the younger players.
“Sunil has given all. He’s given his best for his country, and for the region. I’m glad for him. I’m happy he has now decided. He has been working with several young players. Several of these young players have been a sort of copying him in terms of his deliveries and so on.”
Former West Indies cricketer Rayad Emrit was not stunned by Narine's announcement.
“I’m not surprised that he announced his retirement from international cricket because he hasn't been playing international cricket for a while now. I believe now West Indies has lost one of the best spinners the world has ever seen and also in international cricket,” he said
Young bowler Jayden Seales sees Narine’s retirement as a big loss as well but has been taking all the advice given.
“He’s been a great help to not only myself but also all the players who have come up around him, the spinners. In CPL this year, he gave me a bit of advice on bowling and I’ve used it and am still working on the skills that he helped me with. So obviously, losing him around the setup will be a big thing for everyone,” said Seales.
Narine has played in 122 international matches. It includes six Test matches, 65 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 51 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). He is also known for leading WI to their first T20 World Cup title in 2012 and attaining nine wickets in the competition.
According to T&T Red Force bowler Akeal Hosein, “He’s a magician. We all call him a king, not only in this dressing room but in many other dressing rooms as well. That name sticks with him. And he’s a king for a reason. He’s excellent at what he does and he’s also a brilliant team player as well.”
On Tuesday, Cricket West Indies (CWI) via a release thanked Sunil Narine for his service to West Indies cricket during his international career.
CWI Director of Cricket, Miles Bascombe said: “On behalf of CWI I would like to thank Sunil Narine for his contribution to West Indies during his time on the international stage. He was the kind of bowler who excited fans and brought them to the game. He was the ‘X’ factor in the West Indies bowling attack and produced some amazing spells. When at his best he ranked among the very best in the modern era. We all remember the magical bowling performance in Sri Lanka, when he helped the West Indies to their first T20 World Cup title. As he continues his playing career, we wish him more success.”