A piqued Clive Lloyd, now 70, has demanded cogent explanations from the authorities as to what has suddenly gone wrong with off-spinner Sunil Narine’s bowling for him to be reported for suspect action in two consecutive Champions League Twenty20 matches and rendered ‘hors de combat’ for the final.
Lloyd is currently in India as chief selector and is not sure whether his linchpin spinner will figure in the team sheet for the first One-Day International at Kochi and thereafter.
“I am disappointed (with the developments) in the sense that our bowler could suddenly be out of the tour. You cannot play with people’s emotions and their livelihood. I think there must be better ways of doing the right things.
“I think it’s wrong that one of our best bowlers is being penalised ahead of an important tour like India, where spinners over the years have done extremely well. This guy has been bowling well for years in India and overseas. The ICC top referees have seen him. They haven’t called him. How come all of a sudden this is happening? I think it’s time we stand up for the players and I will be the first one to do so,” said Lloyd.
Lloyd explained that any decision with regard to playing Narine in the ODIs would have to be taken in consultation with the WICB. “He is an exciting cricketer. The point is, just like (Muttiah) Muralitharan, because your action is different doesn’t mean you are throwing. They should be writing to the WICB. What happens now; do we wait or play him? And, if he is called, he has got to go and take quite a few months (break) and he misses out on the World Cup and Test matches.”
“He has been bowling over the years with the same sort of action. Now what has changed? I want to know the procedure. Did they warn him? Did the officials say ‘I have found something and I want it remedied.’ You can’t just ban him from bowling just before an important tour like this and the World Cup coming up.”
Lloyd began the interaction saying he had an inkling of what was going to happen at the CLT20, especially after being told of a generally-held-view the ICC may be on an overdrive to weed out bowlers with suspect action.
“I don’t know. Before we came here, we were told that they were going to call Narine — so it’s quite obvious that something must have been said somewhere. And all of a sudden, this guy who is supposed to be one of the best bowlers around is suddenly felt to have a suspect action. We are left high and dry.”
