Sunday Times
TELFORD VICE, Cape Town
WAYNE Parnell has more talent than most players, times two. But he does not make use of enough of the magical stuff often enough. Farhaan Behardien is nowhere near as gifted as Parnell, but he has stickability.
We cannot put Parnell’s talent into Behardien nor Behardien’s grit into Parnell. So, which is more valuable?
“Guys who are supremely talented ultimately come through better,” former SA batsman Adam Bacher, who admitted he was more in the grit group than the talented tyros, said. “They hit their groove and they have so much talent. It’s a muscle memory of success.
“That’s been the really strange thing with Wayne. Just look at the pure athleticism of the guy - he’s got everything. But what he’s also got is that (at 25) he is still a young guy.
“He’s done it once or twice. He just needs that consistency now. I think he will come through because the talent is there, and it’s a rare talent.
“He’s been used in different roles, so maybe in his own head he’s not sure where he fits into the set-up. They wanted him as a batting option, they’ve used him in test matches, they’ve used him in one-dayers ... and never with a consistent run.”
Bacher has first-hand knowledge of Behardien: “The first time I saw him, I bowled to him - and this guy kept chipping me over midwicket. I found it impossible to bowl to him because he played such unconventional shots.
“But the difference in pace has maybe exposed him. In domestic cricket, you might have two or three really good bowlers and the other guys you can take advantage of. But, in that Aussie side, there’s no respite.
“He’s coming in at extreme pressure against quality bowling. The step up from the franchise system might be tough for him to take consistently.”
Bacher was talking about SA’s one-day series in Australia, which ended in a 4-1 victory for the home side.
Behardien scored 117 runs in five innings, 63 of them in one knock. And yet he could replace the injured JP Duminy in the squad for the test series against West Indies.
Parnell took 3/106 in 18 overs. But he still got Bacher’s vote: “It’s like Phil Mickelson before he won his first major. All it needed was one.”
Mickelson was a pro for a dozen years before he won the 2004 Masters. Then followed the 2005 PGA Championship title, the Masters in 2006 and 2010, and the 2013 Open.
Like Parnell, Mickelson is left-handed. Many will hope those dots are connected.
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