Cape Town certainly seems to be agreeing with Wayne Parnell. The 26-year-old, who moved to the Mother City from Port Elizabeth last winter, has celebrated a recall to the Proteas ODI squad, married his Cape sweetheart Aisha Baker, and is now the toast of the Cape Cobras squad.
Parnell was the big winner at the annual Western Province Cricket Association and Cape Cobras awards on Monday evening, with his new franchise honouring him in four categories. He was named the Cobras’ Player of the Year, One-Day Player of the Year and T20 Player of the Year.
He also scooped the prestigious Players’ Player of the Year, which signifies the impact that the all-rounder had on his new teammates in his maiden season at Newlands.
“I am honoured to have received all those awards. It is pretty special. But undoubtedly the one that has the biggest impact on me is the Players’ Player of the Year,” said Parnell from Trinidad and Tobago, where he’s preparing with the Proteas for the Tri-Series against hosts the West Indies and Australia.
“Coming into a new environment and new team culture is never easy, but the way all the guys at the Cobras have made me feel welcome in the dressing-room has obviously played a big role in my performances throughout the season.
“The recognition of your peers is what every professional sportsperson seeks. That’s why that award means the most to me. My goals coming to a strong franchise such as the Cobras was not just to try and make the team, but I wanted to contribute by doing well.
“Picking up these awards along the way is nice, but I’m all about the team and, hopefully, next year I can continue to do well to help the side pick up some silverware that we missed out on this season.”
His accolades were certainly well-deserved. After starting at the Cobras with an injury suffered in India with the SA A side, Parnell worked his way through his rehabilitation programme stronger than ever before.
His newfound fitness served him well, especially during the latter half of the 2015-16 campaign when he claimed three consecutive five-wicket hauls in the Sunfoil Series. It rounded off a near-perfect season, after striking his maiden first-class century in addition to claiming 16 wickets at an economy-rate of 4.83 in the One-Day Cup.
Parnell’s versatility was also an asset during the T20 Challenge when, in opener Richard Levi’s absence, he smashed 237 runs at an average of 47.40 at the top of the order, scoring 99 against the Highveld Lions at the Wanderers.
“Parney’s performances has been outstanding in all formats this past season. He set some goals at the beginning of the season when he arrived here and has achieved all of them,” Cobras coach Paul Adams said.
“The most important aspect of his game this past season is the levels of maturity he is showed. I think he is in a good space now and, hopefully, when he gets that opportunity at national level he can show why he was such a major player for us.
“We looked at a few things with him and we worked hard on getting him consistent, especially with his bowling. His batting was very much a spill over of confidence gained from his bowling and that just grew from strength to strength as the season progressed.” - Cape Times