A fast left-arm pacer, who comes hustling into the wicket, he releases the ball with a whippy, open-chested action action. His stock delivery is the one which swings into the batsmen at high speeds, called the 'Bender'. But despite possessing some very desirable attributes, Parnell has had an unfulfilled career at the international level - falling away from the top almost as quickly as he arrived, mostly due to injury.

Parnell burst on the scene by captaining South Africa to the final of the U-19 World Cup in 2008, a tournament in which he finished as the leading wicket-taker. He was soon drafted into the senior team for the Australian tour in 2008-09. Although his start was not auspicious, he was selected for the ODI series against Australia and for the subsequent World T-20 in England where he blossomed.