West Indies' Sunil Narine opts for IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders over Tests

West Indies' off spinner Sunil Narine has opted to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final and as a result will miss the forthcoming Tests against New Zealand, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said on Friday.

West Indies' off spinner Sunil Narine has opted to play in the Indian Premier League (IPL) final and as a result will miss the forthcoming Tests against New Zealand, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) said on Friday.

Narine wanted to play for Kolkata Knight Riders in Sunday's IPL 2014 final, and as a result missed the WICB's June 1 deadline for joining the Windies' preparatory camp.

The WICB said that the 26-year-old will now not be considered for home Tests against New Zealand on June 8 and 30.

WICB Director of Cricket Richard Pybus said that under recent guidelines players must make themselves available for team preparations in order to be considered for Tests.

"The onus of the WICB is to protect the integrity of international cricket at all times," said Pybus.

"International cricket, and specifically Test cricket, is priority and requires dedicated preparation which is integral to team success.

"The WICB policy requires players to commit to sufficient preparation leading in to a series as part of a culture of excellence."

Narine will however be considered for selection for two Twenty20 Internationals against New Zealand on July 5 and 6 in Dominica, the WICB said.


West Indies training squad: Denesh Ramdin (Captain), Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo,Dwayne Bravo, Shiv Chanderpaul, Kirk Edwards, Shannon Gabriel, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Shane Shillingford, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor