‘Been whispering in his ears’ – Powell on attempting to encourage Narine to play the T20 World Cup.

Sunil Narine was assured a few days ago that he will watch the forthcoming T20 World Cup “from home”. But chatting with Harsha Bhogle after his 49-ball century against the Rajasthan Royals at Eden Gardens, there is some hope of seeing the all-rounder play international cricket again.

“It is what it is but we will have to see what the future holds,” Narine told the broadcaster in a sideline chat after his hundred.

In reality, West Indies skipper Rovman Powell, who was in the opposition camp on Tuesday (April 16), later disclosed that he had been trying to persuade Narine to come out of international retirement.

“For the last 12 months, I have been whispering in his ears,” Powell said of Narine, “but he’s blocked out everyone.”

“I’ve asked [Kieron] Pollard, [Dwayne] Bravo, [Nicholas] Pooran. Hopefully, before they select the team, they can crack his skull.”

Narine last played for the West Indies in August 2019 and announced his retirement in November 2023, stating that it would be “business as usual” in the “franchise world in the foreseeable future”.