THE news Bolton leg-spinner Matt Parkinson will play for the Manchester Originals in The Hundred next season caps a stunning few weeks for the 22-year-old.

Parkinson will join Jos Buttler on the men’s team alongside seamer Saqib Mahmood, with both bowlers recently receiving their first England call-ups for the upcoming tour to New Zealand.

Throw in the small matter of taking the wicket which sealed Lancashire’s promotion to Division One as Champions last month and it is hardly surprising the former Bolton School pupil has hardly had time to catch a breath since the cricket season ended.

“It’s been a nice season for the club and myself personally,” said Heaton’s Parkinson.

“It’s been a whirlwind few weeks for me. It was a very unique way to find out I’d been selected for England and obviously I’m over the moon at the news.”

Parkinson was out on the field as Lancashire took on Leicestershire, who included his twin-brother Callum in their line up, in their final game of the County Championship season when he received the news he had been called up by England.

Even more strangely it was his team-mate Steven Croft who had to tell the bowler after he received a notification on his iPhone.

Both Mahmood and Parkinson are included in the Test and IT20 squads for the tour, with the spinner’s inclusion coming after he took 19 wickets in the 2019 County Championship season including a career-best match haul of 10-165 against Sussex at Old Trafford in July.

He added 21 Vitality Blast wickets this year to the 25 taken in last year’s competition, cementing his position as one of the country’s leading spin bowlers.

“You don’t go there just for experience,” said Parkinson.

“I’m looking to play every single game when I’m out there and if I don’t play I’m looking to improve.”

The five-match IT20 series in New Zealand starts on November 1 and the two-match Test series starts on November 21 with Parkinson keen to utilise his skills in red ball cricket far more for Lancashire in Division One next season.

“The aim is to play every single game I can play in four-day cricket,” he said.

“You see the best players in England and they play all 14 games and that’s my aim – to make sure I’m selectable for all 14 games.

“It is very tough to win Division One but that’s what we’re aiming for because I look at Essex and I don’t see much difference between their squad and ours.”

Parkinson’s recent success is made all the more poignant after the sudden death of his mother in July which led to the bowler and Callum paying some emotional tributes on social media.

“It was tough but I’ve tried to keep busy and I’ve tried to make my mum proud,” he added.

“I think she can be very proud of the last couple of months I’ve had and the same with my brother.

“It was a very special moment to find out I’d been selected for England while bowling at my brother.

“I’m sure she was looking down on us.”