South Africa’s senior pacer, Wayne Parnell, has expressed his delight on social media after making a comeback to the national team after almost five years. Parnell was part of South Africa’s playing XI in the first T20I that the touring side won by 7 wickets against India on June 9.
Notably, Parnell hadn't played for South Africa since 2017 after signing a Kolpak deal. However, he made his way back to his national side after all Kolpak deals ended last year due to Brexit, but he could not make his full-fledged return in national colors till the first T20I against India.
Firstly, Parnell was selected in the ODI squad for the Netherlands series last year, but it was postponed due to COVID-19, and then an injury forced him to sit out of the ODI series against Bangladesh after bowling just 2.5 overs due to an injury earlier this year.
The left-arm pacer finally made his full-fledged return to the South African team on June 9, and returned with the figures of 1/32 in his four overs against India. After the match, he shared a couple of pictures on Instagram, expressing his pleasure at representing his country once again, and cricketers like Rashid Khan, Dale Steyn, Faf Du Plessis, and others congratulated him on his successful comeback.
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However, Parnell’s teammate Tabraiz Shamsi's comment caught the attention of many, including the pacer himself, as the spinner tried best to pull the pacer's leg on social media.
Shamsi wrote in the comment box that "the man who made his debut with W.G. Grace." "Good to have you back, Parny", as he was indicating that he had been playing for ages for South Africa. Replying to his teammate’s comment with laughing emojis, Parnell called Shamsi "naughty."
Notably, W.G. Grace was a former English amateur cricketer who was responsible for popularising cricket during his 44-season career from 1865 to 1908. He played 22 Tests for England.
