Surrey sign West Indies spinner Sunil Narine for T20 Blast

Veteran West Indies spinner Sunil Narine has been signed by Surrey for the 2022 edition of the T20 Blast, which gets underway on May 25. Hence, the mystery off-spinner will join the team after his stint with Kolkata Knight Riders at the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. Notably, Narine will join the club as one of the two overseas players and expectations are extremely high from him.

As Narine hasn’t been around the West Indies team lately, he’ll be available for Surrey for the entirety of the competition. It must be noted that Narine is one of the most sought after players going around in T20 cricket and his record in the format is nothing but incredible. The off-spinner can contain the run flow in any juncture of the game alongside picking regular wickets.

I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to play for Surrey: Sunil Narine

In recent years, he has also emerged as a handy batter and all these factors make Narine a captain’s delight. Meanwhile, the 33-year-old is also raring to make a mark in the competition and take the side to glory. “I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to play for Surrey in the Vitality Blast this year; one of the few competitions around the world I’ve not experienced in my career,” Narine was quoted as saying by Surrey’s official website.

“The stint I enjoyed with Oval Invincibles (in The Hundred) in 2021 gave me a taste of how unique playing in front of a packed Kia Oval crowd really is. My aim is to entertain as much as possible this year and hopefully ensure the Club challenges for the trophy,” he added.

Coming to Narine’s numbers in the T20 format, the off-spinner has taken 429 wickets in 391 appearances, fourth most for any bowler in the history of the format. The southpaw has also slammed nearly 3000 runs in T20s. With Narine being a proven superstar of the game, Surrey’s director of cricket Alec Stewart is delighted to have him on board.

“We’re very pleased Sunil will be joining us for this year’s Vitality Blast. His unique skills as a bowler and ability to bat anywhere in the order make him a very exciting proposition in any T20 side. As a proven winner in this format, his experience in internationals and leagues around the world will be an invaluable asset,” stated Stewart.