Cape Town - Wayne Parnell has always had ambitions being a professional footballer, dreaming of one day playing for his beloved Manchester United in the English Premier League.
Cricket, though, is his profession but that has not stopped Parnell from bringing a bit of football swag to the cricket pitch.
The Proteas seam bowler was in fine form during the ICC T20 World Cup clash with India in Perth on Sunday, claiming 3-15 from his four overs. He was also at the crease when David Miller hit the winning runs to take the Proteas over the line by five wickets.
“Parney”, who is known for his unique celebrations all around the world, hauled out a classic on Sunday when he imitated Portuguese superstar Cristiano Ronaldo’s latest football celebration.
“The celebration of course comes from Ronaldo,” Parnell told Cricket SA media.
.@WayneParnell on the inspiration behind his celebration ☝️#INDvSA #T20WorldCup #BePartOfIt pic.twitter.com/3BXMod9H9t
— Proteas Men (@ProteasMenCSA) October 30, 2022
“I’ve always been a big Cristiano Ronaldo fan, and also a big Manchester United fan. And obviously he has been going through a tough time recently.
South African cricket player Wayne Parnell celebrated a wicket with the Ronaldo 😴 pic.twitter.com/UJpTUSesp5
“But something I’ve always admired is his resilience, and that’s something that I’ve taken on as well, that never say die attitude, and always wanting to put in performances for the team.”
Proteas fans will be hoping they see plenty more Ronaldo-like celebrations for the remainder of this T20 World Cup in Australia. The Proteas’ next game is against Pakistan in Sydney on Sunday.
IOL Sport