Narine out of West Indies Test side against Bangladesh

Off-spinner Sunil Narine has opted out of the West Indies squad for the first Test against Bangladesh.

He is set to play in the upcoming Champions League Twenty20 in India for Kolkata Knight Riders.

The West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) announced a 13-man squad on Friday for the first Test starting from Sep 5.

The Clive Lloyd-led selection panel reposed their faith mostly on those who played for the Caribbeans’ in the last Test series against New Zealand.

Leon Johnson was the only exception.

The qualifying round of the CLT20 will start from Sep 13, the day when the second Bangladesh-West Indies Test starts.

Apart from those in the Barbados Tridents’ squad, the West Indies have seven other players in the Champions League, all of whom have been excluded from the first Test squad.

However, Barbados Trident player Jason Holder has been drafted into the squad.

WICB, on Friday, said in a statement that two players who were considered for selection to the Test squad have opted to play in the Champions League.

But the board did not mention the names.

Narine earlier was overlooked for the three-Test series against New Zealand after opting to remain in India with eventual IPL champions Knight Riders for the IPL final instead of returning for a preparation camp in Barbados.

Squad:

Denesh Ramdin (captain), Sulieman Benn, Jermaine Blackwood, Kraigg Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Kirk Edwards, Shannon Gabriel, Christopher Gayle, Jason Holder, Kemar Roach, Shane Shillingford, Jerome Taylor