"Bowling leg-spin, if you get the slight yips in your first game it can go horribly wrong but he came in and looked like he had played a lot of cricket"
Tuesday 5 November 2019 11:26, UK
Matt Parkinson's impressive debut is a real positive for England with fellow leg-spinner Adil Rashid battling a shoulder problem, says Sky Sports' Nasser Hussain.
Lancashire youngster Parkinson picked up 1-14 from two overs in England's defeat to New Zealand in the third T20I, bowling Black Caps wicketkeeper-batsman Tim Seifert on the reverse sweep.
The 23-year-old came into the side for Rashid, who admitted recently he could not lift his arm before this summer's successful World Cup campaign and is not yet fully fit.
"Rashid's shoulder is a bit of worry - you talk to Shane Warne, once his shoulder went the zip of the flipper and things like that just weren't there anymore," said Hussain, who presented Parkinson with his cap.
"Every side needs a wrist spinner and Parkinson is the next cab off the rank so I [hope he plays again in the series]. I know he is in the Test squad but I wouldn't want to come to New Zealand and only bowl him for two overs."
On Parkinson's debut, Hussain added: "He went perfectly well.
"You remember how Rashid was when he first came in - there were drag-downs and full tosses.
"Bowling leg-spin, if you get the slight yips in your first game it can go horribly wrong but he came in and looked like he had played a lot of cricket.
"Ish Sodhi, an experienced international leg-spinner bowled poorly for New Zealand, but with Parkinson there were no full tosses or long hops."
Parkinson - the third-highest wicket-taker in the Vitality Blast in 2019, with 21 scalps in 12 matches - says he was not nervous as he made his international bow, alongside the also previously uncapped Somerset opener Tom Banton.
The spinner also revealed why England captain Eoin Morgan only opted to give him two overs at Saxton Oval.
"It is obviously something you dream about from a young age and to do it at a lovely ground like this has been perfect," Parkinson said of his debut. "I would have liked to get a win but I was pleased with the wicket.
"I was more nervous this morning and throughout the day - I wanted to fast forward from the moment I woke up to having the ball in hand.
"I have spent some time with Banton and his philosophy is 'it's just another game' and that rubbed off on me. So no nerves [in the game]. I kept it quite simple and stuck to my leggie mainly."
On being limited to 12 deliveries, Parkinson added: "The ground isn't as big as Old Trafford and when the left-hander, Jimmy Neesham, came in with the breeze coming in it was just tactics."
Will Parkinson get another outing in England's must-win fourth T20I against New Zealand in Napier? Find out from 4.30am on Friday on Sky Sports Cricket.
