I would have loved to play in the World Cup: Sunil Narine

West Indies spinner Sunil Narine said that he would have loved to play in the upcoming Cricket World Cup in England and Wales after missing out on the opportunity to play in the tournament due to a finger injury.

"I would have loved to play in the World Cup. I have missed international cricket and I have missed representing the West Indies. It's where my heart lies," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Narine as saying on Wednesday.

Narine, who is currently playing for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League said that he can get through a T20 match, but his finger is not quite ready for getting through an ODI match.

 

"But I don't feel my finger is quite ready for ODI cricket. I can get through a T20 where I bowl just four overs. But even that isn't easy and I need help from the physio. It's holding me back from playing international cricket. I wouldn't be able to do myself or the team justice," he said.

However, there is a possibility that Narine could be available for the latter stages of the World Cup should he be required as an injury replacement.

"I can't say for sure at the moment. You never want anyone to suffer an injury, but if it did happen and I was able to give West Indies my all, I would love to be part of it," Narine said.

"But I don't think it would be right to go into such a big tournament carrying an injury that won't permit an increased workload and stress on the finger. The performances are fine, but I need to build up the required strength to go from four to 10 overs regularly," he added.

West Indies announced their fifteen-member team for the World Cup on Wednesday and Narine was delighted to be approached by the selectors for the World Cup.

"I'm really happy that the selectors considered me. It shows they have faith in me. I haven't played international cricket in so long and this shows how much they want me to come back. It was good to have some conversations with them and I feel we're all on the same page going forward," Narine said.

West Indies full 15-member squad for the World Cup: Jason Holder (c), Chris Gayle, Andre Russell, Sheldon Cottrell, Shannon Gabriel, Kemar Roach, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Ashley Nurse, Fabian Allen, Shimron Hetmyer, Shai Hope (wk), Oshane Thomas, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Evin Lewis.

The team takes on South Africa and New Zealand in the warm-up matches before the World Cup on May 26 and 28.

The 50-over tournament will take place in England and Wales from May 30 to July 14. West Indies will open its World Cup campaign against Pakistan at Trent Bridge on June 1.