For Matt Parkinson to finally get his Test chance it should be about what he can do, not what he can’t. And he can spin the ball.
Let me tell you about three of the best leg-spinners. Mushtaq Ahmed. Never noted for his batting or fielding. Abdul Qadir. Never noted for his batting or fielding.
Then there was the greatest of them all. Shane Warne was a useful No 8 and could stand at slip but he was not exactly an all-rounder. These guys were not expected to make runs or take brilliant catches.
They were in their sides to take wickets.
England, meanwhile, have traditionally had a suspicion of leg-spinners but I would trust the judgment of the late, great Warne and he really rated Parkinson.
The debate has always been over the relatively slow speed Parkinson bowls but Shane said that didn’t matter as long as he spins it.
I’ve watched Parkinson closely at Lancashire. His development has entailed gaining control while retaining spin and working on the straight-on ball from out of the front of his hand. In other words, the flipper.
The leg-spinner and flipper were the only weapons Warne really had for all his talk about zooters, tooters and scooters. There was no googly as such.
But when the ball was in flight from Warne it would swing in towards the right-handed batsman before spinning away sharply. And that’s exactly what Parkinson does.
So let’s not worry about his batting. It’s up to the dopey blokes above him to get 400 or 500 on the board and give the bowlers something to work with. Yes he will get clattered occasionally.
Kevin Pietersen would clatter Shane Warne. That’s leg-spin. But Parkinson can bamboozle people. For goodness’ sake get him in the side this summer.
Read more on msn.com
msn.com
