Batting: Left-handed
Bowling: Left-arm medium-fast
Wayne Parnell is a gifted all-rounder with the ability to swing the ball at express pace when he is on song. He is also an enterprising middle-order batsman who has occasionally opened the batting for his franchise in domestic limited-over competitions. He managed two centuries at the top of the order for the Warriors.
In 2015, the Cape Cobras announced the signing of Parnell, and the 26-year old bowler responded by taking 10 wickets in his first four Momentum One Day Cup –matches for the Cobras, including a match-winning four for 40 against the VKB Knights.
During the first round of the domestic 50-over series, Parnell operated at 142 km/h and also generated bounce and late swing.
He was even more devastating in the Ram Slam T20 Challenge, scoring 237 runs as an opener with 99 being his best, but it was his explosive style and range of shots which caught the eye. He also captured eight wickets, which included 4-20 against a star-studded Sunfoil Dolphins at SuperSport Park.
Parnell began playing for Eastern Province’s U-13 side when he was 12 and was captain the following year. He didn’t make the U-15 side initially, but at the age of 15 began to play for Eastern Province and South Africa at the U-19 level.
He was part of South Africa’s Under-19 squad for the 2006 World Cup in Sri Lanka. In the 2008-tournament in Malaysia, he lead the SA U.19-team and powered them into the final.
The South African selectors took note of his splendid performances, and he became the youngest player to be handed a national contract by Cricket South Africa (CSA) early in 2009. I
n the One Day Internationals against Australia, Parnell impressed with his late swing at pace and nipped out four for 25 in Centurion. He accounted for Michael Clarke, Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting early on.
In the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in England in 2009, Parnell bowled with sensational economy, discipline and lethal swing, capturing nine wickets in six matches and helping South Africa to reach the semi-finas.
After a successful stint with county Kent, Parnell’s star continued to rise when he made his Test debut against England in the fourth Test at the Wanderers in January 2010. Later that month he also found himself with a new IPL contract, snapped up by Delhi Daredevils for $610,000. (Source wwe.cricinfo.com).
Injuries and intermittent form between 2011 and 2015 prevented Parnell from reaching the heights of 2009 and 2010.
He took 56 wickets in 46 One Day Internationals and showed some class with the bat in 35 T20-Internationals by averaging 34.66.
In the 2013/2014-season, he finished with a match-haul of eight for 103 to power the Warriors to a 225-run win against The Unlimited Titans at St. George’s Park.
Parnell was subsequently selected to represent South Africa in his fourth test, and he removed Alex Doolan and Shaun Marsh with successive deliveries and nipped out two for 31 before suffering an injury in Port Elizabeth in South Africa’s 231-run win.
