Parkinson spurred on by tragedy
IT was fitting Matthew Parkinson was out in the middle playing against his twin Callum when he heard the news he had been picked in England’s Test squad.
Just weeks earlier, the Lancashire spinner and his brother – who plays for Leicestershire – had to deal with the loss of their mum.
But Parkinson has revealed that he used the devastation of the tragedy to inspire him to greater heights on the field.
And he has been rewarded with a call-up for the tour party, who meet up this weekend before heading out to New Zealand for a T20 international series and two Tests against the Kiwis.
“It was a lovely moment to be out in the middle bowling to Callum in a Championship game when I got a shout from the pavilion telling me I was in the Test squad,” Parkinson told M.E.N. Sport. “He gave me a little tap with his bat. It was special, having had the summer that we have had, for him to be out there with me.
“To share that moment with him was lovely.
“I used mum’s death to spur on my season. From that moment, I performed well in the T20 Blast and got more game time with the red ball. I managed to turn it into a positive and, fingers crossed, I can perform well in New Zealand too.”
Having played just 20 first-class matches, Parkinson, who turns 23 on Thursday, was the shock pick of the Test squad when it was announced last month – especially for the player himself! “Genuinely it was completely out of the blue,” he said. “I was hoping to be picked for the white ball leg of the tour on the back of my performances in the Vitality Blast. But when I got told I was in the Test squad while I was out on the field, I was amazed.
“I’m not sure why I’ve been picked, they have obviously seen something they like.” Parkinson was key to Lancashire topping the North Group in last season’s T20 Blast, which went a long way to him being picked as one of the two ‘local icons’ for the Manchester Originals in The Hundred when it starts next year.
But the Boltonian believes he has shown enough in his young first-class career that he can be a threat with the red ball too. He said: “I think I have shown over the last couple of years that I can take wickets in first-class cricket. “My stats are very good and I’d like to think when I play for Lancashire I do a job.
“And I’d like to think the way I’ve conducted myself this year and the way I’ve bowled has shown a new level of maturity in my red ball cricket. I’m hoping that’s why I’ve been selected.”
It was a lovely moment to be bowling to Callum when I got a shout telling me I was in the test squad Matthew Parkinson