Former Indian all-rounder calls out Russell, Narine

MUMBAI, India (CMC):

Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan said it was time that Indian Premier League (IPL) outfit Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) start looking beyond West Indies discards, Sunil Narine and Andre Russell because of their diminishing returns.

Neither Narine nor Russell has featured prominently with the bat or the ball in the tournament this year, and Pathan, a former KKR all-rounder, felt their inconsistency was beginning to take a toll on their side’s output.

“We should see how Narine and Russell have performed in the last three years, or how many match-winning performances they have put in with bat or ball,” Pathan said on the ESPNcricinfo show, T20 Time: Out Hindi.

“As a team, what do you think? If you want to look ahead to the future and go to the next level, then you should surely think about it, because if you look at the last few seasons, their performance hasn’t been as good.

“As a senior player, there are expectations from you that you would get wickets or runs. If you are not able to do it, then you will have to face the questions.”

Pathan said he did not think age was a factor, but he felt the wear and tear of year-round T20 matches may beginning to take a toll on the duo.

“I don’t think age should be a factor because there are others of similar age who are still playing, and are performing well too,” he said. “Plus, both of them play around the year. I feel if you are playing the entire year, then your body is in good shape.

“I am not able to figure out what is going wrong. These two are your match-winners, and when your match-winners don’t perform, your team struggles. Perhaps, fatigue could be a reason as they play the entire year. Having said that, everyone wants and expects them to do well.”

Narine has managed only nine wickets in 13 matches, and he no longer bats at the top of the innings, and has scored only 20 runs at an average of 3.33 in nine innings this year.

Russell, meanwhile, has a strike rate of over 150 in each of the last three IPLs, but he has scored only 218 runs at an average of 22 in 13 matches so far this year, and there are always concerns about his bowling fitness, which has limited him to taking only seven wickets in 14.1 overs.