PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – Wily off-spinner Sunil Narine hopes next month’s series in Bangladesh can kick start his fledgling Test career.
Despite his overwhelming Twenty20 success, the 24-year-old has picked up just 12 wickets in three Tests and 31 runs apiece, after making his Test debut against England in Birmingham back in June.
“I am looking forward to the series. Hopefully I can carry my success into the Tests because I think the pitches there will help me a bit,” Narine told the Trinidad Newsday here.
“I do enjoy playing Test matches. Batsmen aren’t trying to hit you for fours and sixes each ball and you have more time to find your groove. In T20s you have to be perfect.”
Narine shot to prominence in the Twenty20 format for Trinidad and Tobago, before making his West Indies debut on the one-day phase of the tour of India a year ago.
He snatched 11 wickets in the five-match ODI series against the touring Australians earlier in the year and bamboozled New Zealand to take 13 wickets in a similar number of one-dayers last July.
The right-armer proved the toast of the Indian Premier League when he was voted Man-of-the-Series for his 24 wickets which helped fire Kolkata Knight Riders to the championship.
He was also member of the West Indies team which captured the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka earlier this month. Narine says he hopes the regional squad can now build on that success.
“It feels good to be a world champion,” he said.
“Not being able to come back home killed the spirit a bit but hopefully we can build on the enjoyment of winning and continue to do well in the future.”
