Time to make this opportunity count: Wayne Parnell

MUMBAI: He's only 21, but Wayne Parnell has already seen some highs and lows in his fledgling career.
The South African all-rounder, who bowls nippy left-arm pace and is a handy bat down the order, was bought by Delhi Daredevils last IPL season for a whopping $610,000. But a groin injury ruled him out of the event even before he could bowl a single ball. He was out of action for nearly six months.
He was in the World Cup squad, but despite a spell of 4-1-4-0 against Bangladesh in the only game he played, never got another chance in the event, which South Africa exited at the quarterfinal stage.
Things are looking brighter now, though. Parnell's already become a vital cog in the Pune Warriors' bowling machine, who bought him for a rather modest price tag of $160,000 at January's IPL player auction. "Now it's upon me to make this opportunity count. The injury came at a really bad time for me last year. I had to sit out for almost six months. But the days away from the game also made me mentally stronger. Life is all about ups and downs," says Parnell, who shone with a three-wicket burst in the Warriors' four-wicket win over Kochi in their IPL opener.
He now aims to seal a permanent spot in the South African Test and ODI side, and is counting on his performance in the ongoing IPL. "This is a great platform to develop yourself as a player. For a fast bowler, nothing can be more challenging than bowling on Indian pitches. If you can do well here, you can do well anywhere in the world. I strongly feel this format helps you evolve as a bowler, as you have to continuously try out different things," the southpaw, who admires Zaheer Khan's "consistency" and Ashish Nehra's "variations", adds.
The loss to New Zealand in the World Cup quarterfinals still haunts him though. "I was not in the playing eleven, but I still can't get over that loss. We were confident that we would be one of the teams in the title clash, particularly after our win over India in the league stages. We still can't fathom what went wrong ... We have been unfortunate many times before, but this time I think we played poorly," Parnell says.
He's been enjoying his Pune stint so far. "They are a great and talented bunch. It's been great fun both on and off the field. It's been tough of course, with the heat and all that travelling, but then we are professional cricketers, aren't we?" he signs off.