England call bittersweet for spin ace
MATT Parkinson wants to make a lasting impression on England in New Zealand after reflecting on a “bittersweet” first call-up, which came only a few months after his mother passed away.
One day after the highly-rated Lancashire leg-spinner’s maiden 10-wicket match haul in the Specsavers County Championship against Sussex in July, Parkinson and his family were in mourning after the sudden death of mum Maria.
The tragedy inspired Parkinson, who had another productive Vitality Blast campaign with 21 wickets at an average of 14.61, to earn a spot in both the Twenty20 and Test squads for England’s first winter assignment.
He said: “It’s been a tough summer for me and my family. I used it as a motivation to perform well and luckily I did that. I’d say bittersweet, I’m still very proud and I think she would be as well.
“I’m looking forward to the tour and knowing she’s looking down on me. The first call-up is very special for any cricketer that gets selected. You’re not actually as far away as you think.
“But I’m not just making up the numbers. I want to impress. If that translates into me playing then brilliant, if it doesn’t then I want to leave a good impression on the coach and the players.”
Parkinson’s blond hair and the type of bowler he is invites speculation about Shane Warne but it is another former Australia leg-spinner who has influenced the youngster’s career.
Stuart MacGill, who was in Warne’s shadow for a number of years but still claimed 208 wickets in 44 Tests between 1998 and 2008, coached Parkinson in Sydney a couple of winters ago and the two remain in close contact.
Parkinson added: “He’s probably my go-to and a sort of mentor. I’m very lucky that I do have a relationship with him. He’s been fantastic for me in the past two years.
“Shane Warne is the best leg-spinner to have played the game so I think if I do play there will be comparisons naturally. Fingers crossed I can one day meet him.
“I don’t think I started bowling leg-spin because of him. It probably would have been the same time to the 2005 Ashes but I know my dad bowled leg-spin so I guess he was probably pushing me that way.
“It probably didn’t do any harm that Warne was playing around that time. He was fantastic to watch in that brief time he was playing when I was growing up but I didn’t actually see a great deal of him live.”
ROB Yates admits it was a “very proud moment” this summer when he took the last step on the pathway from Warwickshire Under10s to member of the Bears’ first team.
Solihull-born Yates entered the 2019 season hoping to make a good impression for the Second XI and perhaps get a firstteam game or two along the way.
He ended it with a maiden championship century under his belt and as a regular in the red-ball team, having played 12 championship games and scored 570 runs, plenty of them important ones for the team, scored under pressure.
The 20-year-old, a product of Moseley from the age of eight and the Warwickshire age groups from under-10s, impressed a lot of good judges with batting of composure, technique and application.
Yates made the step up earlier than expected, but handled the elevation adroitly, culminating in that maiden century, a superb 141 in over six hours at home to title-chasing Somerset, for his beloved Bears.
“That was a very proud moment,” he said. “Growing up, it was always my dream to play for Warwickshire so it was very special to get the century.
“In the Hampshire game before that I got so close, so I just wanted to make sure I got over the line and then I added a few extra runs, which was nice. It was a brilliant day.
“I didn’t expect to play a huge amount of first-team cricket this year so have been really pleased with the way it went. It is a step up but I just tried to tell myself it is the same game as I have always played, just a bit quicker and I need to be as consistent as possible.
“I try not to over-complicate things and that seems to make me relax a bit when I am out there. Facing world-class bowlers like Morne Morkel and Kyle Abbott, it would be quite easy to look at them and just panic, so you try and watch the ball and play it as it comes.”
Yates’ clear-headed strategy paid off with a number of important innings, not least a crucial 49 in the three-wicket win over Yorkshire at York. He has made an excellent start to his senior career – but is well aware it is only a start.
“I just want to keep working hard and improving,” he said. “At the end of the season I felt pretty tired, physically and mentally, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’ll get a bit of a rest and then get back to the hard work come November.
“Then next season I’ll just take it as it comes. I’ll work hard and do what I am told to the best of my ability. I try not to overthink. It is quite a high-pressure environment so the more pressure you take off yourself then, theoretically, the easier it becomes.”
It is quite a highpressure environment so the more pressure you take off yourself then, theoretically, the easier it becomes..
Rob Yates