Cape Town - Wayne Parnell’s most recent Test appearance came at his former home ground St George’s Park during a riveting series against Australia in Port Elizabeth more than two years ago.
The left-arm seamer dismissed Alex Doolan with his first ball in that Test and two deliveries later claimed a second wicket when he sent Shaun Marsh on his way in an all-action first over. Parnell, though, only went on to bowl a further 7.3 overs for the duration of the Test as he limped off the field the next morning with a groin strain.
This is the way Parnell has played with the emotions of even his most ardent supporters, which includes Proteas coach Russell Domingo, for the majority of his career.
There’s that moment of brilliance everyone knows he possesses, the X-factor as Domingo likes to call it, but it comes with the inevitable frustration of watching such a wonderful talent spend lengthy periods on the sidelines through injury just when his career seems set to take off.
But as much as cricket can be most unforgiving, it has a gentler and more forbearing side that is still holding the door open for Parnell to return to international cricket across all formats.
With AB de Villiers’s Test side in the midst of a transition phase after losing consecutive series to India (away) and England (home), there are plenty of positions up for grabs – specifically the all-rounder role – ahead of the next Test assignment at home against New Zealand in August.
While that may seem a long way away, especially with a World T20 still to navigate before, there are five rounds of Sunfoil Series games remaining at home for players like Parnell to stake their claim for a place in the longest format.
The 26-year-old will don the whites of the Cape Cobras for this first time on Thursday in Potchefstroom against the newly-crowned One -Day Cup champions the Highveld Lions.
It is almost strange to realise that Parnell will only now actually be making his first-class debut for the Western Cape franchise considering he has played such prominent roles in both limited-overs (T20 Challenge and One-Day Cup) campaigns for the Cobras already this season.
A foot injury kept him from playing in the first round of matches during December, and he will only now get the opportunity to play some red-ball cricket.
But anyone who watched Parnell in the last Sunday’s final defeat against the Lions at Newlands will confirm that the former teenage prodigy is returning to his best form.
Importantly, that was not a one-off performance either with Parnell showing a refreshing consistency to his game by finishing joint third among the wicket-takers in the One-Day Cup with 16 scalps at an average of 23.00 and an economy rate of 4.83. And just to prove that he has lost none of his prowess with the bat either, he struck 237 runs at 47.40, which came at a strike-rate of 133.14, in the T20 competition.
It is this type of form that Cobras four-day captain Omphile Ramela is hoping Parnell can bring to a team that desperately needs a shift in momentum. Not only does Ramela need to motivate his team to work their way up the ladder from second-last on the table, but he also needs to try and get them focusing on four-day cricket after the disappointment of the cup final defeat.
“Wayne has shown throughout the season what a quality cricketer he is through his performances with both bat and ball,” Ramela said on Wednesday. “He is a thorough professional, in terms of preparation, and it is this type of attitude that we need going forward. In four-day cricket it is the senior players who need to show the way and Parney is one those guys that takes this type of responsibility very seriously.
“We’ve spoken about last Sunday and how that is now a thing of the past, and the need to re-focus on the goals in front of us. We have a lot of cricket still to play this summer. And Parney is a big part of those goals.”
Parnell will come into the four-day line-up for opening bowler Dane Paterson, who will finally get to rest his tired body. Paterson had been playing throughout the One-Day Cup with a few niggles and will get some time to recuperate this weekend.
Rory Kleinveldt has also been included in the travelling squad to provide seam bowling cover, while opening batsman Simon Khomari returns to the four-day arena. Richard Levi will remain with the squad while one-day specialist Aviwe Mgijima sits out.
Cape Argus