West Indies opener Shai Hope struck his eleventh one-day international century to lead his team to a seven-wicket win over the Netherlands in Amstelveen on Tuesday, in a game reduced to 45 overs.
Although the Netherlands only made 240 for seven, the target was adjusted under the Duckworth Lewis method to 247 which the West Indies passed with 11 balls to spare.
This will be the first assignment of the West Indies under the captaincy of Nicholas Pooran.
Meanwhlie, Nicholas Pooran has talked about the Sunil Narine’s availability for the T20 World Cup later this year at the virtual press conference ahead of the 3-match ODI series against the Netherlands.
Pooran added that Sunil Narine’s availability for the T20 World Cup later this year was a matter for him to discuss directly with the selectors.
Sunil Narine is one of the most decorated spinners in the history of T20 cricket. Batters across the globe struggle in scoring run against Narine due to the mystery he brings into his bowling.
The West Indies spinner had a brilliant IPL season with the KKR, recently became the first overseas spinner to scalp 150 wickets in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and he is currently playing for Surrey in the T20 Blast.
Halfway through and @GlamCricket are 67/2, Sunil Narine opening up with two tidy overs. pic.twitter.com/BGf3koyvTk
— Surrey Cricket (@surreycricket) May 27, 2022
Narine has been a constant in the T20 leagues, but he is missing from the International setup.
Nicholas Pooran said that he cannot control the choices of Sunil Narine, and it is a matter between him and the selectors, and he does not play any part in it.
“What Sunil wants, I’m in no control of that,” Pooran said.
“But that’s a conversation between him and the selectors – what his aspirations are when it comes to West Indies cricket.” he added
Narine is a veteran of 439 T20 wickets, and he has a brilliant economy of 6.02. He has also scored 2997 T20 runs with the bat courtesy of 11 half-centuries.
let’s look at some memorable performances of Narine in IPL:
Apart from his dangerous bowling, Narine has showcased his batting prowess as well. A number of times, his quick-fire innings have guided KKR to win. He has been one of the most reliable all-rounders for the franchise.
5/19 vs KXIP, 2012
This is Narine’s best-ever figures in IPL. Back in 2012, during KKR’s clash with Punjab, the spinner restricted the opponents at 134/9 in 20 overs. His 5-19 in 4 overs had 14 dot balls. It was his first-ever match at Eden Gardens and even though KKR lost the game by 2 runs, Narine was awarded Player of the Match for his magical performance.
4/13 vs DD, 2013
Once again, Narine’s spin restricted opponents Delhi to 128 in 20 overs. The off-spinner took the wicket of dangerous David Warner, who was playing at 21 but also ran riot through the tail, restricting the team to a below-par score. KKR won the match by 6 wickets and once again the spinner was given the Player of the Match award.
3/33 vs KXIP, 2013
In this match, Narine registered his first-ever hat-trick in the IPL. Narine left the Kings XI Punjab’s batters puzzled with his bowling as he accounted for David Hussey, Azhar Mahmood and Gurkeerat Singh in consecutive deliveries. Well, Kolkata lost the match marginally, but Narine’s efforts carved a special place in our hearts.
54 off 17 vs RCB, 2017
Narine’s batting skills were on display in this game against Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB). His knock of 54 off 17 runs had 6 boundaries and 4 maximums. Narine raced to his fifty in just 15 balls and stitched a 105-run opening stand with Chris Lynn. Riding on their efforts, Kolkata sealed a 6-wicket win. In the same match, Narine had also took 2 wickets for 29 runs
64 off 32 vs DC, 2020
This was one of the most stunning knocks by Narine, considering Abu Dhabi’s tricky conditions and longer boundaries. Coming to bat at No. 5, the all-rounder ripped apart the Delhi Capitals bowling attack. He smashed 6 fours and 4 maximum. Narine’s stellar show took KKR to 195-6 in 20 overs, while in response Delhi could gather only 135 runs.