Sunil Narine has called time on his eight-year international career. He last played for West Indies in a T20I in August 2019.
“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,” Narine wrote on Instagram. “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 realise my dream of representing West Indies and to you I express my deepest gratitude.”
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Narine came into limelight in the now defunct Champions League T20 for Trinidad & Tobago in 2011 before making his international debut in an ODI in December later that year. He played 122 international matches, which included six Tests, 65 ODIs and 51 T20Is. He helped West Indies to their first T20 World Cup title in 2012 – their first World Cup win across formats since 1979 – with nine wickets in the competition. He would go on to play just one more edition of the T20 World Cup, in 2014. Since 2012, Narine has been a regular fixture in the Kolkata Knight Riders squad and is now a familiar face in the T20 circuit across the world, which is now “business as usual” for him in the foreseeable future. He continues to play for the Knight Riders franchise across leagues – KKR in the IPL, Abu Dhabi in the International League T20, Trinbago in the Caribbean Premier League and Los Angeles in Major League Cricket. He is
also part of the Hundred men’s competition with Oval Invincibles and also plays in the Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League and Bangladesh Premier League.
In 2014, Narine was first reported for a suspect action following which he withdrew from the ODI World Cup the following year. That played its part in his sporadic international appearances.
Now 35, Narine also has his sights on a domestic trophy.
“[My father] is ever present with me when I take to the field and I am indebted to his support and love, which carried me through the times I questioned whether the pursuit of my dreams was really worth it,” he wrote. “I love representing Trinidad & Tobago, the country of my birth, and to add another title by winning the Super50 Cup will be the perfect send-off.”
The ongoing Super50 Cup will be his last in List A cricket.
