Sunnier conditions suit Sunil Narine - Opinion
When the mystery spinner was unveiled in the 2012 edition of the IPL, many reckoned that the likes of Saeed Ajmal of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/BAW-Mendis-c1127 of Sri Lanka may have some fierce competition. The ability to fox the likes of Tendulkar and Ganguly on Indian
pitches was an achievement in itself. It was http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sunil-Philip-Narine-c91869, a product of Trinidad and Tobago, who was considered to be a fine all round package. His ability to use his silky action in disguise has drawn praise from a number of his observers. His off spin action
often makes the ball turn in the other direction, where the usage of the front pad by a right handed batsman can prove fatal. Yet, in times where cricket is judged in accordance with adaptability, Narine still has a long way to go.
The spinner is a current member of the West Indies squad which is baying for match winners. Some of his spells against the Kiwis in the recent series has highlighted how he has used the conditions to fox their batsman. His first appearance in international
colors however, has disappointingly, unveiled loopholes in his bowling repertoire. For Narine, the amount of turn that he generates can be equated with the success that he might enjoy in the future. In http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 in 2012, Narine failed to bamboozle the English
batsman of which many of them played him on length and trusted their pitches for stroke play. Ian Bell’s majestic century at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton, was a prime example of playing Narine on length which invariably negates his ability to make the ball
talk and turn.
Contrastingly, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 at bay in the recently concluded ODI series in the Caribbean was largely a product of Narine’s ability to fox the best of Aussie batsman. The conditions however, starkly differed. On wickets with comparatively
more turn, such as the Beausejour Stadium in St. Lucia or Arnos Vale in St. Vincent, Narine managed to take 11 wickets and ended up as the leading wicket taker in the series. His ability to bowl the ‘doosra’ with effect proved so lethal that Australians had
to settle for a 2-2 draw in the five match series.
Yet a world class spinner is more about bowling in conditions which are conducive to his type of bowling. If one is to consider the legendary http://www.senore.com/Cricket/M-Muralitharan-c1864, his ability to turn the ball on glass like pitches made him a true great. For Murali, it didn’t
matter as to whether he was playing at the SSC in Colombo or Newlands in Cape Town. The wickets kept on tumbling and very seldom would he prove to be wicket less regardless of who the opposition was. To compare Narine to Muralitharan or even http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Saeed-Ajmal-c87859 for
that matter would be unfair. Yet for those who consider him to become a modern great in the future, he still has some daylight to cover.
Narine’s bowling action also offers a window of opportunities for quick scoring batsman. His laid back approach in his delivery stride provides players with ample time to adjust their technique accordingly. Ajantha Mendis of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Sri-Lanka-c758 for example, has a
quick arm action which does not provide batsman with ample time to read him at all. The trouble with Mendis however, is far beyond his action. The array of deliveries he has at his disposal is lethal and the Indian batsmen who played in the Asia Cup Final
of 2008 would acknowledge this with a gulp.
Yet a known fact is that Mendis like Narine, has not been tested in conditions which are alien to him. It can be argued that Sunil Narine deserves praise for at least being exposed to English conditions at a tender age. This provides him with ample time
to learn how to adjust to pitches which are tailor made for seamers. To praise him now and have high expectations from this talented spinner however, would be premature. To match the best one needs to play against the best in hostile conditions. In light of
this adage, he has a long way to go.
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