'I have not seen Parnell bowl this well'

Cape Town - Wayne Parnell has thrown his hat into the national ring, said Justin Ontong, the Cape Cobras’ captain, after witnessing the one-man demolition job done by the left-arm swing bowler who finished with a career-best match-haul of 12-105 in the nine-wicket win against the Sunfoil Dolphins at PPC Newlands.

Roger Telemachus, assistant coach of the Sunfoil Dolphins and a former South African bowler, concurred. “Wayne was unbelievable. I have not seen him bowl this well in a very long time.

“He swung it away through the air at pace, consistently found the right areas, and nipped it either away or into the right-hander. You have to acknowledge that the overhead conditions favoured him, but you still have to execute those skills,” he added.

Parnell was at his best in 2009 and 2010, consistently performing in One Day Internationals and T20-Internationals for South Africa, including a superb 4-25 against Australia at SuperSport Park. Following a serious groin injury in 2011, his form was intermittent and only occasionally was he at his magnificent best.

Ontong said Parnell swung the ball and also nipped it off the seam. He hardly strayed in terms of his lengths and his mode of dismissals reveal that he got bounce, swing, seam and also operated with pace.

Stiaan van Zyl, senior national batsman of the Cape Cobras, said Parnell operated consistently at 135 km/h or faster and either swung it or seamed it to cause discomfort at various stages of the game.

Ashwell Prince, a national selector who was present at PPC Newlands when Parnell set up the comprehensive nine-wicket win for the Cape Cobras, said it is important for South Africa to find options in terms of left-arm swing bowlers. David Willey has shown what asset such a bowler can be.

What makes Parnell’s future involvement a possibility if he continues his form, is that he has been a standout-performer with the bat at number seven.

It included a career-best (unbeaten 111 in Bloemfontein) two games ago, said Prince.

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