Sunil Narine has ruled himself out of a recall to the West Indies squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, insisting that "that door is now closed" despite his stellar form for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL.
Narine, 35, currently leads the tournament's MVP standings after a remarkable run of form, including a magnificent 109 not out off 56 balls against Rajasthan Royals last week, his maiden T20 century.
He is also KKR's joint leading wicket-taker, taking nine for 22.11 with his offspin at an economy rate of 7.10. That form led West Indies T20I captain Rovman Powell to admit, ahead of the West Indies' first home World Cup campaign since 2007, that he had been "whispering in [Narine's] ears" for the past 12 months.
Narine retires from international cricket in November 2023, having not played for West Indies since 2019, and in a statement released by KKR, he insisted he was not about to change his mind:
"I'm truly flattered and humbled that my performances recently have moved many people to publicly express their wish for me to come out of retirement and play in the upcoming T20 World Cup."