JP hopes that Parnell can live up to that ‘big player’ status again
CAPE COBRAS captain JP Duminy his hoping his Proteas teammate Wayne Parnell can play a significant role during the upcoming One-Day Cup.
Parnell found himself surplus to requirements at Newlands during the recent T20 Challenge, where he only played a couple of games for the Cobras before going on loan to the Warriors.
The all-rounder had minimal success at his former team too though, scoring just one and four, and picking up just one wicket in the two matches played.
But with Proteas players Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma and Vernon Philander returning to national duty for the upcoming Test season, the Cobras will be hoping Parnell rediscovers his form sooner rather than later.
The 28-year-old has been a big player for the Cobras since joining the Western Cape franchise from the Warriors in 2015, particularly in white-ball cricket, but it seems now that he is fast approaching a crossroads in his career.
“We have a big squad and I would like to think Parney has a big role to play,” Duminy said.
“He has all the experience and skills and we are hoping he can bring that to the fore.
“He has shown what he’s capable of in the past and hopefully we can expect the same type of impact from him again.”
The Cobras skipper is certainly in an upbeat mood despite being forced to head back to Durban and in particular Kingsmead – the same venue where their T20 semifinal was washed out last week – for their opening One-Day Cup encounter with the Dolphins on Thursday.
“There’s obviously not much we can do about the semi,” Duminy said.
But we do take responsibility for what happened in our last league game against the Warriors when we let it slip out of our hands.”
“However, we take lots of positives from the way we played towards the backend of the RamSlam campaign and we want to take that confidence into the One-Day Cup.”
Besides Parnell’s expected return to the Cobras squad, there are likely to be a few more changes.
Sunfoil Series captain Dane Piedt could come into the equation, while the longer format of limited-overs cricket should suit middle-order batsman Aviwe Mgijima a bit more.
Coach Ashwell Prince may also open up opportunities for talented youngsters such as Jason Smith, Zubayr Hamza and possibly even former Rondebosch Boys High School prodigy Dayyaan Galiem in the One-Day Cup to showcase their ability.
“There are certainly opportunities for players to step up. Obviously big boots to fill, but it is (a) great opportunity,” Prince said.
“Last season’s One-Day Cup did not go too well, so we have focused a lot on what it means to represent the Cobras and hopefully there will be plenty of pride in the performances during the competition.
“I have certainly learnt a lot about that nothing written on paper guarantees a result. Every game you need to bring a winning attitude to the field. If you play like champions, you will more times than not end up as champions.”