England urged to select spinner Warne ‘really rated’ and ‘bamboozles batters’

David Lloyd has called for England to pick Matt Parkinson in their Test team this summer, describing the leg-spinner as someone who “can bamboozle people”

England have been urged to finally hand a Test debut to Matt Parkinson this summer by former coach David Lloyd.

Parkinson was first named in an England Test squad back in 2019 but remains uncapped despite England’s struggles to find a consistently threatening spinner. The 25-year-old boasts an impressive first-class record of 102 wickets at an average of 23.35, having only played 32 matches since debuting for Lancashire in 2016.

Last year, he took 36 wickets at an average of 20.55 in the County Championship and Shane Warne, the greatest leg-spinner of all time, had spoken highly of Parkinson’s skills. He has the ability to generate massive turn and has already taken a whole host of eye-catching wickets during his career so far.

And Lloyd believes England must give Parkinson an opportunity this summer, rubbishing concerns that he bowls too slowly to be a successful Test match spinner. “England have traditionally had a suspicion of leg-spinners but I would trust the judgment of the late, great Warne and he really rated Parkinson,” Lloyd wrote in his latest column for the Daily Mail.

“The debate has always been over the relatively slow speed Parkinson bowls but Shane said that didn’t matter as long as he spins it. I’ve watched Parkinson closely at Lancashire.

“His development has entailed gaining control while retaining spin and working on the straight-on ball from out of the front of his hand. In other words, the flipper.

“The leg-spinner and flipper were the only weapons Warne really had for all his talk about zooters, tooters and scooters. There was no googly as such.

“But when the ball was in flight from Warne it would swing in towards the right-handed batsman before spinning away sharply. And that’s exactly what Parkinson does.

“Parkinson can bamboozle people. For goodness’ sake get him in the side this summer.”