Last autumn, I first heard the name of Sunil Narine, when he performed heroics in the T20 Champions League for Trinidad & Tobago. OK, so they didn't win the tournament; that was always set up for Mumbai. However, the young leg-spinner also came to the attention of the IPL franchises, his auction value was one of the highest in 2012, and he helped spin KKR to victory.
Twenty20 has helped bring the art of slow bowling to the forefront of world cricket. Teams regularly feature at least three spinners, and often open the attack with them, relegating the quicks to the post-powerplay overs. Shahid Afridi has become a more successful bowler than batsman, while the likes of Sharma, Ashwin and various other young Indians have delighted in making their mark in front of huge crowds and TV audiences. Look at me, I can concede only seven runs an over, maybe get someone to thump my mystery delivery high to an outfielder and - I know this sounds crazy - if I'm really on fire bowl a dot ball!
Hmm. Does that really make you a great bowler. As with some of the T20 batting superstars, the same young Indians find it very hard to move up even to the 50-over game, let alone the Test scene. The likes of Muralitharan, Warne, Mushtaq Ahmed, Harbajhan Singh and Kumble served their apprenticeship in the first-class game and were all the better for it.
Sunil Narine is the new West Indian hopeful and, boy, do they need someone to pin their hopes on?! The thing is, he has played only six first-class matches in his career, and he's already 24. How will he cope with bowling ten, fifteen overs on the trot, testing out the batsmen, varying line, pace, height and spin to get them out? It's no longer just about enticing slogs to deep mid-wicket. Like Anil Kumble, he has a good high action and his performances in T20 have shown that even the best batters have problems picking his deliveries; in four overs, they simply don't have time. In Test cricket, however, they do. Will he hold his nerve when the likes of Cook or Trott simply thrust a pad or forward defensive to every ball? Will he shrug when one gets cut for four and focus on finding that weakness, or just keep tossing them up in the hope of getting a catch? Kumble was a supreme wicket-taker but he could be expensive. However, in the five-day game it doesn't matter so long as you get the guys out, usually armed with patience and guile.
Actually, the way the weather is shaping up, Narine may not get to deliver a ball against England this week but what he needs to do is get some experience of proper cricket. To sign up for at least half a season in the County Championship and serve an apprenticeship en route to becoming the genuine article. Somehow I don't think he will do that, so I fervently hope he will be a natural in all forms of cricket like Murali and now Saeed Ajmal. For now, Sunil Narine is my Man of the Moment but will he deserve such an honour again?!
