Cricket was never easy for, had to work for everything: Sunil Narine

West Indies spinner Sunil Narine has opened up about being called for illegal bowling action and how the right-hander coped up with it to make a comeback.

“It (being called for illegal bowling action in 2020) was tough! But at the end of the day, cricket was never easy for me. I had to work for everything I have. So, it was just like another stepping stone where I had to dig deep, work hard and come out on top,” Narine said in a short film “The Comeback King” that was released on Thursday.

KKR MD and CEO Venky Mysore suggested that Narine had become even more effective after tweaking his bowling action.

“The outcome was as rewarding as it could get, Narine continued his wizardry despite all the odds. There are very few, if any, who have had to modify their activities, come back and be as effective. I think he has been more effective.”

Head coach of KKR and former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum said that it was a difficult phase for the spinner and he has overcome a lot in his career.

“It was a difficult phase for him, and he has overcome a lot (in his career). Perhaps, the officials haven’t understood the ramifications of the decisions that they were putting down on paper, it had a significant impact on Sunil,” said McCullum.

Narine played an important role in KKR’s decent run in the 2021 edition of the Indian Premier League where they ended as the runners up. The Caribbean cricketer scalped a total of 16 wickets in 14 matches that he played for the franchise in the season during the course.

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Marnus Labuschagne doesn't need leadership role to lead, eager to dominate Ashes series with bat

Marnus Labuschagne has risen through the ranks on the back of a truckload of runs batting at number three position for Australia and it was his outstanding batting numbers that put him in the reckoning when the selectors were looking for a replacement once Tim Paine was to leave. However, Paine left the side and captaincy on a sudden and unceremonious note leaving Australian selectors to scramble quickly for leadership options with an all-important Ashes series knocking at the door. As things panned out, they nominated Pat Cummins, who was a long time deputy to Paine for the captaincy role while Steve Smith regained some of his reputation and place in the leadership group. Discussing how things progressed and his takeaways from the process, Labuschagne rejected the idea that he was disappointed at not being appointed as the captain. Instead, he outlined his role with the bat in hand said that his leadership doesn’t depend on having a formal role or title with the side. He offered all his and other senior players’ support to Cummins and Smith and expected the duo to produce “fabulous” results for the Australian Test team. "No, I wasn’t disappointed," Labuschagne told reporters. “I think there are two very good leaders and very good candidates. (Cummins) is going to do a fabulous job and he’s got plenty of support with Steve as his vice-captain and all the senior players of the group.” "My job right now is to concentrate on scoring runs consistently for Australia and I’m happy for that to be my role for now. You don’t need the title to still be a leader in the group." Labuschange established himself in Australia’s Test team in the last Ashes series played in England when they needed someone to calm the storm after injury to Steve Smith and he has not looked back since. He will remain Australia’s go-to man with the bat alongside David Warner and Smith in the upcoming Ashes series scheduled to start on December 08.

KKR is home away from home: Sunil Narine

West Indies spinner Sunil Narine has been an important cog in the wheel for the Kolkata Knight Riders. The right-arm bowler who was one of the players to be retained by the franchise ahead of the mega auctions has now opened up about the bond he has with KKR and how it is a “home away from home”. “There’s no other place I’d like to be than KKR because I have played all my cricket here,” Narine has said in a short film “The Comeback King” that was released on Thursday. “I would love to continue representing the franchise It’s a home away from home, my second home. So, I hope it can continue,” added Narine. Narine was a part of the KKR side that lifted the IPL trophy in 2012 and 2014 respectively. The right-hander has played 134 IPL matches where he has scored 954 runs and has scalped 143 wickets so far. The Knight Riders had a pretty decent run in the 2021 edition where they made it to the final and Narine bagged a total of 16 wickets at an economy rate of 6.44 in the 14 games that he featured in.

Coach Gary Stead expects 'sustained period of rest' for Kane Williamson to heal elbow injury

New Zealand lost their skipper Kane Williamson for the second and final Test of the series owing to a long standing elbow injury that has consistently bothered the Kiwi captain. Head coach Gary Stead said that playing him in Mumbai was never an option despite his eagerness to lead the team and play the final match against India. “Ultimately the injury is still not right and while he got through the Kanpur Test, it was clear playing in the second Test wasn’t an option. We all know how much he loves playing and leading this team, particularly in Test cricket, so it’s a very difficult decision to sit out,” Stead said. Williamson has suffered from a longstanding elbow injury that has troubled him over the last couple of years and has forced him away from many games and Stead said that increased load of batting has aggravated the injury. Stead laid down a plan of “sustained period of rest” for Williamson where he will go through rounds of strengthening and the batting load will be elevated gradually to allow the elbow to heal properly. “It’s been a really tough time for Kane having to deal with such a persistent injury,” Stead said. “While we’ve been able to manage the injury through the year and the T20 World Cup, the shift to Test cricket and the increased batting loading has re-aggravated his elbow." “It’s been a challenging year for Kane trying to manage his elbow and it’s important we now formulate a good plan with him to ensure the injury does not continue to plague him. He will likely require a sustained period of rest followed by rehabilitation, strengthening and gradual batting loading.”

Deccan, Delhi, Abu Dhabi & Bangla fight it out in the playoffs of T1O League 2021

The fifth season of the UAE T10 league is entering its business end and the fortunes of four teams such as the Deccan Gladiators, the Delhi Bulls, the Team Abu Dhabi, the Bangla Tigers are at stake. The playoff will kick off from today, December o3 with the first qualifier between the Deccan Gladiators and the Delhi Bulls. The winner of this contest will earn a direct entry into the final of the tournament while the loser will not go out of the race and instead will get another shot to make way to the final. However, the next contest of eliminator between the Team Abu Dhabi and the Bangla Tigers will not have similar consequences and the loser of the game will be knocked out of the tournament. On the other hand, the winner will have to fight one more round of battle with the loser of the first qualifier in order to make an entry to the final. The final of the tournament will be played on December 04 in Abu Dhabi. Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz has been sensational with the bat for the Delhi Bulls and the side will expect him to maintain his batting form in the final rounds of the tournament. He is the leading run-scorer of the tournament with 310 runs and has smashed numerous swashbuckling innings to help the Bulls come so far ahead in the tournament. He has hit 28 sixes and is second on the list of batsmen with the most number of sixes in the tournament after Liam Livingstone, who tops the chart with 29 six. On the other side of the fence, the Deccan Gladiators will be relying on their talisman Wanindu Hasaranga to keep his purple patch in white-ball cricket going. He has been superb in the tournament and has not been able to be read by batsmen in the recent past. He achieved a staggering bowling spell where he took as many as five wickets for just eight runs in the season where he has taken 18 wickets in total.