TELFORD VICE
Ryan McLaren is, as he said himself during the one-day series against India last month, a Citi Golf: sturdy and reliable but not the kind of car that will crick necks at a red robot. Wayne Parnell is that kind of car, a Ferrari, all fired up and not about to go nowhere slowly.
Thing is, even though the Rolls Royce that was Jacques Kallis has left the SA test team’s garage, there is still only one available parking place. Who gets it, the Golf or the Ferrari?
A former Audi of an allrounder himself, Brian McMillan, offered advancement not through technology but through succinct common sense: “Ryan McLaren, simply because of his character. He’s consistent, he gives 110% and he’s not temperamental.”
Adrian Kuiper, a Harley Davidson in his pomp as a rip-roaring batsman and none too shabby seam and swing bowler, concurred: “I’ve been very impressed with Ryan McLaren. He’s become a very fine cricketer in an allround sense - batting, bowling and fielding. He’s Mr Consistency.
“Parnell has fantastic skills which need to be honed. If his mind is right, he could become a very fine cricketer.
“But, with Parnell, you don’t know quite what you’re going to get. He is exciting, but if you want consistency McLaren fits the bill.”
The journey SA will embark on next month - three tests against Australia - is a long, draining trek through the outback of the Great Karoo. Padstals are optional. Potholes and ruts come standard. Radio Sonder Mense is the only frequency in town.
The Ferrari would get you to your destination faster, no doubt. But a Karoo pothole, deep enough to make a sheep disappear, would do unmentionable things to that low-slung undercarriage. And there is every chance of the sight of this red flash of exoticism exciting the cops into a frenzy of speed trapping, thus emptying your pocket and slowing you down. But it would be a fun trip, and you might avoid all the pitfalls and arrive in a style much more grand than the one to which you have become accustomed.
Not so for the Golf, which would drone slowly but surely from A to B. Seatbelts would be snugly buckled, speed limits obeyed, livestock carefully avoided. There would be no fun but also no fuss.
The specs on these two don’t tell us much. They have each played just one first-class match this season.
Parnell scored 12 in his only innings for the Warriors against the Titans at St George’s Park last month. However, he did take 8/102 in the match - 5/48 of them in a second innings in which all of his victims batted in the top seven.
On the same weekend, McLaren batted twice for Knights to make 49 runs against the Cobras at Newlands. He bowled 44 overs in the match and took 3/128.
The gentlemen of the selection panel started their engines on Monday. The squad they will put under starter’s orders should be announced by next week.
It has to be McLaren - That is, IF you want Tahir to play!!! And I am of the view that Tahir must play against the Aussies. With our 3 front line attacking pace men,Steyn, Morkel and Philander all being attacking bowlers, if we need an attacking spinner like Tahir, then McLaren is best equiped for the holding roll. This is not the sub-continent or the UAE and therefore Tahir's margin for error on our wickets is quite small. He will be attacked by the Aussies when he comes on to bowl. It is self defeating to then have our 3 front line pace bowlers trying to stem the tide and play a holding role at the other end.
McLaren can play that role whilst we rotate our 3 pace heavies with attacking fields as well as Tahir.
If however you play a defensive spinner like Robin Peterson instead, he will be required do the holding role that Paul Harris used to play and you can either play an extra batsman (De Kock, Elgar, Russouw?) or an extra attacking paceman (Abbot or Parnell).