Sunil Narine Called Again ~ Cannot Bowl Off-spinners !!!

The assistant coach, Paul Farbrace, has no intention of letting England be distracted ahead of the third Test in the West Indies - either by internal changes or external barbs.  England are 1-0 ahead going into Friday’s decider in Barbados, in sight of a first away series victory since India in December 2012. But they are also striving to keep other agendas out of their eyeline, with the England and Wales Cricket Board currently courting a high-profile director of cricket to take responsibility for the national side and a first Ashes gauntlet already laid down by Steve Smith. There has thus far been more speculation than clarity around the recruitment of a new supremo – a position created after the managing director Paul Downton was sacked at the start of the Caribbean tour. Former captains Andrew Strauss, Michael Vaughan and Alec Stewart have all shown a tentative interest, though the precise job specification has yet to be made public. England’s head coach, Peter Moores, and Farbrace himself, would be forgiven for wondering where they would stand should any of those voices enter the dressing room but one thing is certain: another win would go a long way towards strengthening their hand. Even as West Indies struggle against the visitors, losing a  Test and drawing another one with lot of drama – there are more than handful of West Indians out here performing well in IPL 8  - those who come readily come to mind are :  Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Smith, Dwayne Bravo, Andre Russel, Lendl Simmons, Chris Gayle,  Darren Sammy .. Of them, the mystery spinner Sunil Narine skipped the World Cup and returned to IPL after undergoing tests – and sadly, his  return from a bowling ban  is not lasting  too long.  The news is that he has  now been banned from bowling offspinners after being reported for suspect action on 22 April.  Narine, who has played five times for KKR this season, made a return to competitive cricket with a new action and hasn't been very successful either — picking up two wickets at an average of 73.50. Thought  there have been bowlers with suspect actions – many fast bowlers went unscathed.  Somehow, the off-spinners have been taunted by this far too often ! It is their ‘doosra’ that lands them in trouble - Saqlain Mushtaq  who hit it big early, was successful but many other off-spinners were reviewed and questioned on the legitimacy of their doosras – they include : Bruce Yardley,   Kumara Dharmasena, Muttiah Muralitharan, Harbhajan Singh, Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal,  Johan Botha., Sacharitha Senanayake,  Marlon Samuels, Shane Shillingford,  Mohammed Hafeez,  Prosper Utseya,  Sohag Gazi.............. and do you know one unlikely Indian who was called for ‘throwing’ at Bridgetown in 1983. Narine  was in Chennai at  -  Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute,  a deemed university  operating in Porur, Chennai for a biomechanical analysis of his bowling action.    Sunil Narine was praised  by players and the media alike for retaining his 'mystery' despite the change in action — but the officials spotted something awry in the match against Sunrisers Hyderabad. It is not good news for KKR and Narine as the BCCI Suspect Bowling Action Committee‎ after reviewing the evidence of the match footage and the analysis provided by SRASSC  has concluded that  Narine’s bowling action for his off-spinner, contravenes Law 24.2 (as read with Law 24.3) of the Laws of Cricket and therefore the player is now banned from bowling the off-spinner in matches organised by the BCCI, including the IPL. He may however continue to bowl his other deliveries (the knuckle ball and the quicker straight ball)," said a BCCI statement. Narine wasn't picked for KKR's sixth match and it remains to be seen whether he plays again for the defending champions. If Narine bowls the offspinner again this season, then the on-field umpires would apply Law 24.2 and call no ball and, at the end of the match, would issue a further report.  Narine may undergo a course of bowling rehabilitation and take corrective measures to ensure that his action does not contravene Law 24 and may then request a further official assessment by the committee. BCCI had earlier banned Narine, whose ‘doosra’ was under the scanner, during the 2014 Champions League T20 ~and how his off-spin is found illegal !!  Narine with his re-worked action,  has had a rather ordinary time for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing IPL season - with just two wickets from five games at an economy rate of 7.35. Now that he will not be allowed to bowl his stock delivery, the West Indian’s effectiveness will be reduced further. It remains to be seen if the Knight Riders play him since the Kolkata side has some viable spin options ... Though not in a serious note, the Indian wicket-keeper Syed Kirmani was called for ‘chucking’ in a Test at Bridgetown in 1983. With regards – S. Sampathkumar
30^th Apr 2015.