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Narine will be back with a bang - Richardson

Richie Richardson, the West Indies team manager, has said he is confident that Sunil Narine will "come back with a bang" following the controversy over the offspinner's bowling action during the Champions League Twenty20

Amol Karhadkar
Amol Karhadkar
04-Oct-2014
Richie Richardson said that Sunil Narine's withdrawal from the tour had had little effect on the West Indies side  •  AFP

Richie Richardson said that Sunil Narine's withdrawal from the tour had had little effect on the West Indies side  •  AFP

Richie Richardson, the West Indies team manager, is confident Sunil Narine will "come back with a bang" following the controversy over the offspinner's bowling action during the Champions League Twenty20. Narine was reported twice for a suspect action and was barred from bowling in the Champions League final, and he was subsequently withdrawn from the India tour by the West Indies Cricket Board.
"Nobody wants it to happen to anybody. It's unfortunate," Richardson said on the sidelines of West Indies' training session in Mumbai on Saturday. "He has just got to go home, think about it and come back. And I know that that's his approach, that's his attitude. He would obviously be disappointed but he is not down.
"Knowing the character that he is, he is not going to let that get him down. He is going to go back and work. He is going to come back with a bang. And he is going to come back an even better bowler. These things will happen and it's how well you handle these crises that proves the strength of character that you have. I know he is a very strong individual. Might seem very easy-going, very quiet but deep down he is a very confident, strong individual."
Richardson stressed that the controversy had not affected the morale of the West Indies team. The side lost its first tour match to India A by nine wickets on Friday and will play their second practice game on Sunday.
"We can't do nothing about that. We just have to focus on what we have to do. We were positive even without him that we can play well against India and beat India. That's the attitude we have got to adapt," Richardson said. "Things happen in life that you have no control over, the most important thing for you is to always pick yourself up and go forward. Sometimes when you lose a major player, other players dig deeper, somebody else comes to the fore. And that's what we want to see."
When asked if the decision to withdraw Narine was taken with the 2015 World Cup in sight, Richardson said he was not involved in the selection of the team: "I am just the manager of the team so whatever the team they give me, I manage. I am not involved in that process so I can't comment."

Amol Karhadkar is a correspondent at ESPNcricinfo