Clarke casts further doubt over Narine's Test chances

As he ponders an offer to take part in the IPL for the first time, Michael Clarke has cast further doubt over the young West Indian spinner Sunil Narine's availability to play in the forthcoming Test series against Australia due to contractual obligations to the Indian Twenty20 tournament.

The West Indies coach Ottis Gibson has already expressed doubts about his ability to choose Narine for the Tests, which overlap with the first half of the fifth edition of the IPL, given that he is not contracted to the West Indies board and is therefore likely to depart for Kolkata for the entirety of the event.

Australia's batsmen have struggled mightily against Narine's accurate off breaks and variations, delivered in a flat style ideally suited to the slow, low pitches of the Caribbean. However, Clarke said he was not expecting Narine to figure in the Test series, and had not committed much thought to the prospect of playing against him.

"I don't think he's playing the Test series," Clarke said prior to his departure for the West Indies. "I think he's playing in the IPL the last I heard. I heard the West Indies were going to release him to play the full time in the IPL but I've watched him on TV through this series and I've seen a little bit of him in the past.

"He's bowled very well. He's got really good control and he can not only spin his offspinner but the ball the other way so I guess that's the hardest thing about playing spin, being able to pick him. Once you pick him you still have to play (the ball) and on the wickets so far it's been quite tough.

"If he does take part in the Test series I'm sure we'll all have a real good look at him."

Narine's case is the latest instance of the WICB losing the battle to retain its best players for international duty in the face of T20 counter-offers. The most prominent casualty of the struggle has been Chris Gayle, but Narine's loss would be almost as significant given such a promising start to his time in Caribbean colours.

By contrast, Clarke has held back from taking part in the IPL since its inception so he could concentrate on his Australian duties, a commitment he was rewarded for when he attained the captaincy left vacant by Ricky Ponting. However Clarke had noted as early as 2010 that the 2012 IPL may have been an option for him, and while he stopped short of stating his intentions, there was an acknowledgement of negotiations between the Pune Warriors and Clarke's manager James Erskine.

Pune's captain Sourav Ganguly had caused a stir by stating at a Kolkata promotional function that "we're on the verge of signing Clarke", in a deal that would have him fly to India for the closing phase of the tournament following the conclusion of the Tests against the West Indies.

"That opportunity has been presented," Clarke said. "We will continue to talk about it and make a decision in due course. Right now my priority is to make sure I get back and make sure we continue our success in the Test format."