Matt Parkinson still has key role to play for Lancashire insists coach Glen Chapple

Glen Chapple expects Matt Parkinson to play a key role in Lancashire's final three County Championship matches of the season.
Matt ParkinsonMatt Parkinson
Matt Parkinson

ALSO READ: Dane Vilas stars in crucial Lancashire victory at SouthportThe England Lions leg-spinner, 21, was a surprise omission from the Red Rose team which beat Worcestershire inside three days at Southport last week, with South Africa Test left-armer Keshav Maharaj preferred as the only spinner.

Lancashire’s win gave them a huge boost in their fight against relegation, with Maharaj contributing three second-innings wickets on his overseas debut.

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The Red Rose, two points above the relegation zone in fifth place, visit Somerset, Yorkshire and Hampshire during the final month of the season, and there is an extremely good chance that the former and the latter will produce two-spinner pitches.

Taunton is first up on Tuesday where second-placed hosts lie in wait.

“Parky is a quality spinner, and he’s still learning,” said coach Chapple.

“We didn’t want all the pressure of winning matches to fall on his shoulders.

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“Spinners can play an important part at the back end of the season. Keshav’s a world-class spinner.

“Also, when you look at signing players at this stage of the season, you are limited.

“We didn’t want to go for an okay player, we wanted to go for a proven Test performer, and we’ve got that.

“The two of them can play together.

“Some of the places we are going to are places that prefer to play spinning pitches. It gives us options either way depending on what they produce.”

Essex in third to bottom side Worcester are separated by just 32 points in the Division One table.

Everybody in the division bar Lancashire and Nottinghamshire have four fixtures remaining.