Is http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869 a limited-over specialist? Opinion – Part Two
Continued from the previous part…
The 24-year-old cricketer’s performance in the second Test has not been any better so far as Narine bowled 19 wicket-less overs after giving away 90 runs, which is too expensive in the 5-day format of the game. Taking into account the
nature of the pitches in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Bangladesh-c747, a bowler of his class should have made a bigger impression in the series, especially because the home team’s batsmen are not that experienced in Test cricket.
There are no question-marks about the Trinidadian’s abilities in the shorter formats of the sport and he is likely to play for West Indies for a long period of time successfully. However, he needs to understand that Test cricket is
the pinnacle of the game and no player can achieve greatness without performing well in the 5-day version, which is the real test of a player’s mental and physical skill.
Saqlain, who gave a new life to the art of off-spin bowling in the 1990s because of his invention, the ‘Doosra’, and is regarded as one of the legends of the game, also advised Narine to focus on Test cricket.
“The young man has impressed me greatly in the shorter formats of cricket, but he has to remember that taking wickets in Test cricket will be the real challenge and a bowler's greatness is measured by his performances in the five-day
format,” says the former http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 cricketer.
The cricketer from Trinidad & Tobago has so played 15 One Day Internationals and 12 T20s for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760, in which he has already picked up 44 wickets with impressive averages and economy rates. However, his stats have suffered in Test
cricket in all aspects, which need to improve very quickly; otherwise, the talented youngster will soon be labelled as a limited-over specialist.
Narine’s first-class record is quite heartening though, as he has grabbed 49 victims in just 10 matches, with a stunning average of just 20.12 runs per innings. These figures prove that the mystery spinner has the potential to perform
well in all forms of the game and will learn to be successful in Test cricket also, as he plays more international cricket against different teams.
His coach, Gibson, is ready to be patient with the off-spinner and believes that he can become a very good Test match bowler as well. The former West Indies fast bowler revealed that the youngster is never shy of working hard, which
augurs well for his future.
“He has played a lot of cricket in a short space of time in his career. When he gets it right, he's a quality performer,” he added. “He's having a bad time of it but all a coach can ask for is for a bowler to continue working hard in
the nets and that's exactly what he's doing.”
As he plays more international cricket, Narine will learn that a spinner has to focus on giving the ball additional air in Test cricket, as the flatter trajectory can only be successful in the limited-over sport.
Let us hope that the Narine does not focus entirely on being victorious in franchise cricket in future, which is no more than quick-cash for international cricketers. He possesses immense ability and a clean bowling action, which should
help him to be regarded as one of the world’s finest slow bowlers in the years to come.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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