Kolkata Knight Riders spinner Sunil Narine has taken 7 wickets and bowled 7 maiden overs ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League 2023 season. Interestingly, he was about to fly to India to join his KKR teammates when his flight was delayed, and he ended up bowling a fiery spell in the T&T Cricket Board Premiership Division I.
Narine took the field for Queen’s Park Cricket Club I against Clarke Road United at the Queen’s Park Oval in St Clair, Port-of-Spain. The Caribbean had already scalped 31 wickets in his last three matches, including four back-to-back five-wicket hauls. The 34-year-old completely befuddled the opposition batters, picking up 7 wickets and also bowling 7 maiden overs.
Queen’s Park had decided to bowl first earlier in the game because the pitch had already been used. Before Narine could work his magic, Jon Russ Jaggesar and Sion Hacket rattled Clarke Road’s top three batters.
Narine’s masterclass began after Dejourn Charles, Nicholas Sookdeosingh, and Joshua Persaud had left. The KKR star restricted the opposition to 76 runs in 24 overs thanks to his fiery spell.
When Queen’s Park batted in response, it appeared as if they were batting on an entirely different surface, as they recorded a total of 268 for 3 before declaring.
Meanwhile, Narine’s flight being delayed was purely coincidental, and he ended up playing the match. It must have been a well-deserved boost for the Caribbean ace on a personal level as well, following his disastrous stint as captain of Abu Dhabi Knight Riders in ILT20, which saw the franchise win just one match in ten league appearances.
The Knight Riders will begin their IPL 2023 campaign on April 1 with a match against Punjab Kings in the afternoon. The injury to captain Shreyas Iyer has already dealt a massive blow to the franchise co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan.
According to reports, Narine could be in the running to lead KKR if Iyer is unable to play in the IPL 2023 season. However, no official word has been issued yet.
