The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) has denied that it forced veteran cricketer Shivnarine Chanderpaul to retire from international cricket so that he can play in the inaugural Masters Cricket League (MCL) T20 which was played in Dubai, United Arab Emirates recently.
The West Indies middle-order batsman is claiming that a No Objection Certificate (NOC) issued to him by the WICB contained a threatening clause which forced him to call time on international career.
The WICB issued NOCs to four players, to facilitate their participation in the MCL, a tournament approved by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for players who have retired from international cricket.
“I was given a No Objection Certificate by WICB with a clause in it that I retired on the 23 of January,” Chanderpaul told ESPNcricinfo.
The WICB said if he did not indicate by the deadline “we will be forced to revoke any NOC issued for the tournament.”
However, the WICB said the NOCs were granted on the basis that the players were “well aware of their decisions to retire from international cricket and therefore allowing them to be eligible for participation in the inaugural tournament.”
The other players who were granted NOCs are Tino Best, Krishma Santokie and Fidel Edwards.
The WICB statement made little reference to Best, Santokie, and Edwards but listed Chanderpaul’s series of low scores in his last Test matches.
Chanderpaul is expected to turn out for leaders Guyana Jaguars when the WICB Professional Cricket League (PCL) resumes next week.
Meanwhile, West Indies mystery off-spinner Sunil Narine who was banned from international cricket for his illegal bowling has reunited with reigning Caribbean Premier League (CPL) champions Trinidad and Tobago Red Force.
Narine has also regained his place in the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight.
The 27-year-old Trinidadian previously played for Guyana Amazon Warriors since the Caribbean Premier League’s (CPL) inception in 2013, but will return to his hometown for the upcoming season, set to bowl off in June. T&T Red Steel weas bought last season by the owners of KKR in India and chief executive Venky Mysore said it was important to have Narine back among the family.
He said that Narine has been an integral part of KKR since 2012.
“Sunil is a champion player, who has helped deliver two titles to KKR in 2012 and 2014 ( in the Indian Premier League) and I know he will play a vital role in our quest for glory this year back in his homeland of Trinidad and Tobago,” Mysore said.
Narine has his eyes set on the Twenty20 World Cup in India starting in March, but he first has to get the green light from the WICB after undergoing several tests to correct his illegal bowling action.
