CWI thanks 'magical' Narine, Bascombe hails spinner as 'X-Factor' in WI bowling

Cricket West Indies (CWI) has hailed "magical" Trinidad and Tobago off-spinner Sunil Narine for his contributions to West Indies cricket following the announcement of his retirement from international duty on Sunday.

Narine, 35, played 122 matches for the West Indies in a career which spanned from 2011 to 2019. He took 165 wickets for the West Indies across three formats, with his career-best of six for 27 coming against South Africa in a One-day international (ODI) in Guyana in 2016. Narine, often hailed as a "mystery spinner" throughout his career for his subtle and effective variations, took his career-best Test figures away to New Zealand in 2013 when he grabbed figures of six for 91 in Hamilton. Narine's scalps included the legendary New Zealand batting pair of Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum.

Narine played just six Test matches in his career, but it's in the Twenty20 (T20) format where his talents shone the brightest. Narine was a member of the Daren Sammy-led Windies team which won the T20 World Cup title in 2012, defeating hosts Sri Lanka by a 36-run margin in the final in Colombo. In that final, Narine had impeccable figures of three for nine and accounted for the wicket of opposing captain Mahela Jayawardene as the Caribbean team got the famous win.

CWI Director of Cricket Miles Bascombe, who played the lone T20 international for WI in 2011, paid homage to Narine in a CWI release on Tuesday.

"On behalf of CWI, I would like to thank Sunil Narine for his contribution to the West Indies during his time on the international stage. He was the kind of bowler who excited fans and brought them to the game."

Narine remains a fixture with Trinbago Knight Riders in the Caribbean Premier League and is currently a key member of the TT Red Force team which is playing in the 2023 CG United Regional Super50 tournament.

"(Narine) 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."

The ongoing Super50 tournament will be Narine's last appearance in the 50-over format for TT.