Rajasthan Royals’ Rovman Powell has been actively persuading Sunil Narine to reconsider his international retirement ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024, starting on June 1. Despite Narine’s retirement in November 2023, Powell, the West Indies T20I captain, is hopeful that discussions with former West Indies players like Kieron Pollard, Dwayne Bravo, and Nicholas Pooran might influence Narine’s decision.
Powell revealed his efforts during a post-match press conference, expressing a desire to see Narine back in international cricket before the team selection for the World Cup.
“For the last 12 months, I’ve been whispering in his (Narine’s) ears, but he’s blocked out everyone. I’ve asked [Kieron] Pollard, [Dwayne] Bravo, and [Nicholas] Pooran. Hopefully, before they select the team, they can crack his code,” Powell said in the post-match press conference.
Narine, who retired from international play, recently showcased his mettle in the IPL, playing for Kolkata Knight Riders. Against Rajasthan Royals, he scored a remarkable 109 off 56 balls, although KKR faced a 2-wicket loss.
Powell himself played a pivotal role in RR’s chase of 224, contributing a quick 26 off 13 balls, which included crucial hits against Narine in the 17th over. This performance underlines his value as a big signing for RR, for whom he was bought at Rs 7.4 crore in the IPL auction.
Despite not always being in the playing XI, Powell praised the team’s morale and communication. He also hinted at aspirations to bat higher up the order, a topic he has brought up with RR’s director of cricket, Kumar Sangakkara.
The match at Eden Gardens saw Narine’s explosive batting set a challenging target of 223/6 for KKR. However, RR, with a century from Jos Buttler and contributions from Riyan Parag and Powell, managed to secure a 2-wicket victory.
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