But the club said in a statement on Thursday that they had been informed on Wednesday night about a change in Narine’s plans. Narine will instead remain in the USA, leaving Surrey with only one overseas player for Saturday’s showpiece in Australia’s Sean Abbott.
Alec Stewart, Surrey’s director of cricket, said: “We were aware when we signed Sunil for the T20 Blast that he could be unavailable for Finals Day due to his pre-signed contract with the Knight Riders in the MLC.
“However, all of the subsequent conversations with the various parties since he arrived for the group games and leading into this week were that we would have him back for Saturday, so it’s disappointing and frustrating to lose a player of Sunil’s quality at such late notice.”
ECB regulations require players to be registered with a county in the group stages of a competition in order to be available for the knockout stages, so Surrey will not be permitted an overseas replacement for Narine.
“Sunil’s absence now presents a great opportunity for another player to come into the team and make an impact at Edgbaston this weekend,” Stewart added.
