T20 World Cup 2021: Sunil Narine will not be part of West Indies squad, says skipper Kieron Pollard

Sunil Narine, who came up with a superb performance in IPL 2021 Eliminator against Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to keep his team's hopes alive for a third IPL title, will not be a part of the West Indies squad for the T20 World Cup after failing to match their fitness standards.

West Indies limited-overs captain Kieron Pollard has categorically said that all-rounder Sunil Narine will not be added to the 15-member squad of the two-time ICC World T20 champions despite his all-round performance for Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders in the ongoing season. Since the resumption of the IPL season in UAE, Narine has snared 11 wickets in eight games, conceding 6.12 runs per over. The winner of Qualifier 2 will play Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2021 final, two days before the start of the ICC T20 World Cup in the UAE and Oman.

However, Pollard said that Narine would not be included in the squad on the basis of his performance in the IPL, "barring injury or illness" to any player.

"That has been explained. If I add my two cents or my words on how his non-inclusion came about, then it could be spun just like how he`s bowling on these Sharjah wickets in all different directions. Let`s deal with the fifteen guys that we have here at this moment in time, which is more important, and see if we can rally around these guys and see if we can defend our title," Pollard told Espncricinfo website on Tuesday.