Wayne Parnell has been “selling himself short” with the bat and can fulfil the No 7 all-rounder role for the Proteas if he continues to improve his batting and bowling.
That was the verdict of the man who has been in that position before, veteran Cape Cobras all-rounder Justin Kemp, after Parnell hit a thrilling 99 off just 57 balls to take his team to victory over the Lions in a T20 Challenge clash on Sunday.
Parnell smashed the Lions bowling attack to all parts of the Wanderers as he opened the batting in place of Richard Levi, who was injured in an unfortunate fielding accident when captain Justin Ontong struck Levi on the head with a throw from the boundary.
Chasing 154 for victory, Cobras coach Paul Adams turned to Parnell to partner Andrew Puttick and what may have been a gamble turned into a brilliant decision.
And not only did Parnell get runs off quick bowlers such as Hardus Viljoen and Dwaine Pretorius, he dealt with in-form Lions spin twins Aaron Phangiso and Eddie Leie in brutal fashion in an innings that included nine fours and five sixes.
The 26-year-old left-hander missed out on a maiden T20 hundred when he went for another big hit off Phangiso and was caught at short third man.
But Parnell had no regrets and said on Twitter afterwards: “A lot of people asking why I didn’t go for my century, those that know me well know that I always put the team ahead of personal accolades. It’s the way I’ve always played my cricket and sometimes I get criticized for it but I’ve always been WE before ME. Happy to get the win!!”
The No 7 position in the Proteas side in all three formats has been problematic since the retirement of Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener. While Parnell has been earmarked for that position in the past, injuries and a lack of sufficient opportunities have combined to limit his appearances for the national team on a consistent basis.
He has played four Tests, 46 ODIs and 35 T20s for the Proteas since making his international debut in 2009, but has gone on tours where he was often the back-up and didn’t play many games.
The former SA Under-19 captain has been a top performer with the ball for the Cobras in 50-over and 20-over cricket this season. The left-arm paceman is the joint leading wicket-taker in the 1-Day Cup with 10, and he heads up the averages with 18.60, while he captured seven scalps in the T20 Challenge.
Now he’s finding his touch with the bat too, and he did score two hundreds in List A (45- and 50-over) cricket for the Warriors in the past. “If he can add consistency to his batting and bowling, there is no reason why he cannot represent South Africa in all the formats at number seven,” Kemp said on the Cobras website on Monday.
“I have been telling him countless times that he has got so much batting talent and that he is not using it enough. He has been selling himself short with the bat. His knock at the Wanderers was unbelievable.”
Parnell is hitting form at just the right time, with England arriving in South Africa in late December for a lengthy tour, while the World T20 championship takes place in India in March next year.
@IndyCapeSport