It was announced a couple of weeks ago that Matt Parkinson, who has been on loan at Durham, was to leave Lancashire and move to Kent on a three-year deal. Although he played in, and took 5 wickets, in the first Championship game of the season, Matt had not been seen in the red ball format since, having fallen behind both Tom Hartley and also it seems Jack Morley, both slow left arm spinners. Hartley is seen as more of an all rounder, but his returns with the ball this season have been disappointing.
Matt latterly he has not even managed to get a place in the T20 side, once regarded as his forte. So why has a player who made his test debut a year ago as a concussion sub fallen so far, and so fast?
Parkinson’s descent into second team obscurity from the England squad in only a year needs placing in context. He has long been regarded as one of the most promising young spinners in the country, despite the regular criticism of his bowling being too slow to succeed at the highest level. England first showed interest in him in the white ball format, but he seems to of been discarded by them from all formats now after some brutal treatment against India in a one day series.
The word which emerged in the press suggested that he was regarded as “too slow and not good enough.” Whoever was responsible for such a blunt assessment, presumably some unnamed figure in the England hierarchy, did the young bowler no favours. Parkinson comes across as a naturally confident figure, but man management in every field of human endeavour including sport is an essential skill of employers, and the way he seems to of been dismissed offhand can hardly of done his morale much good.
Parkinson is not helped by being a poor fielder and an unexceptional batsman, but all the same he is a bowler of considerable skill. In his sole test appearance he bowled tidily and with no little skill, picking up one wicket but by no means letting England down. Indeed, the New Zealanders tried to play aggressively against him by using their feet, but seemed to have difficulty reading his flight: he certainly didn’t look overawed by the experience. One partial appearance hardly seems a fair basis to judge a young player making his debut.
Ahead of his move at the end of the season, Matt is at least getting some game time at Durham, and seems to of bowled well in the two matches he has played so far, taking ten wickets. While England’s focus is entirely on Rehan Ahmed at the moment, who bowled well in his debut in Pakistan, it is to be hoped that Matt Parkinson can continue to develop his game and compete for higher honours in the future. Whatever the background of his leaving Lancs, Kent are acquiring one of the best young spinners on the circuit, who should be coming into his prime in the next few years. I wish him well.