"If I raise my level and he raises his level, then the whole team is better" - Wayne Parnell highlights South African team's unity
South African seamer Wayne Parnell has brushed aside any insecurity among the players on the team. The veteran seamer suggested that the increase in competition will only make the team stronger than ever.
After making his international debut in 2006, Parnell has played only intermittently for South Africa due to form concerns and his Kolpak deal. As a result, the Proteas have seen the rise of Marco Jansen, Duanne Olivier, Vernon Philander, Anrich Nortje, and Kagiso Rabada.
Parnell stated that if he helped a fellow South African bowler get better, it would only help the team get stronger.
"It was like, 'If I'm playing, then I can't help this guy because he might take my spot and then I am out'. Now players look at it like, 'If I help Marco Jansen get better and he takes my spot, that's good because it means he is better than I am and in that way he raises my level as well. And if I raise my level and he raises his level, then the whole team is better'," he told ESPN Cricinfo.
The 34-year-old highlighted that a selfish mindset will never help a team win the World Cup.
"If we have that mindset, we are helping the team. I'm not thinking that if I am bowling well and he is not bowling well, I am not going to help him because then I can make sure I get picked. If you have that mindset, you are never going to win a World Cup," he added.
The Proteas are yet to win the World Cup since their first appearance in 1992. They reached the semifinals on four occasions, but haven't crossed that barrier to date.
"Maybe it wasn't a proper squad" - Wayne Parnell on 2011 World Cup debacle
Wayne Parnell, who was part of the 2011 World Cup squad, opined that the dynamics weren't quite right then and observed how things have evolved now. He opined:
"If I look back, it was just that something was missing. Maybe it wasn't a proper squad. We just had a bunch of players. There was something lacking. Maybe certain players didn't like other players . The dynamics were just off a little bit. The environment has changed a lot over the course of my career. It's so much better now, where players are interacting with each other and you can feel it's more genuine. Maybe it's just the way cricket has evolved."
The Proteas' promising journey in the 2011 World Cup ended after a shocking loss to New Zealand in the quarterfinal.