WAYNE Parnell has already made a big impact in his first full season with Worcestershire and says he has become a “smarter cricketer” after playing in various tournaments around the world.

The 29-year-old arrived at Blackfinch New Road on the back of stints in the Afghanistan Premier League, the Sharjah T10 League, the Bangladesh Premier League and Pakistan Super League during the winter.

South African Parnell, who has signed a three-year deal as a Kolpak player at Blackfinch New Road, finished as the County’s leading wicket-taker in the Royal London One-Day Cup with 22 victims in nine games.

Only Lancashire paceman Saqib Mahmood (28 in 10) and Nathan Sowter (25 in nine) picked up more wickets in the competition.

But Parnell then transferred his fine form to the Specsavers County Championship with a half-century and a five-for against Lancashire at Emirates Old Trafford.

A hamstring injury ruled him out of this week's home clash with Middlesex but he is expected to return to action sooner rather than later. 

Parnell said: "I’m a person who likes learning and experiencing different things, chatting to people from different parts of the world.

“That is probably one thing I’ve taken from the last six months, going to different places playing alongside some really fine cricketers.

“I try to find out what they do and see if I can nit-pick certain things and add them to my game.

“Over the last 12 to 18 months I’ve become smarter as a cricketer. I think that is the key thing.

“When you get older and start playing more games your skill improves but you also become smarter in terms of when you use it.

“Over the last couple of years I’ve known my brain more and that will hold me in good stead.”

Parnell was part of the Worcestershire Rapids side who won the Vitality Blast for the first time last season when he was their second highest wicket-taker behind Pat Brown.

They crossed the finishing line to triumph in a major competition after several near-misses and it is a scenario Parnell has experienced during his career.

He said: “I’ve won a few trophies. With the Chevrolet Warriors we actually won two trophies in one season and it was a similar thing to with Worcestershire where we had been close in the semis and finals a couple of times.

“When actually winning a trophy the belief grows in the group and hopefully that is the same story here in that once you know what it takes to get over the line you can work towards doing it over and over again.”

The County have a 10-day break from action after the match with Middlesex before they face Lancashire in the return meeting at Blackfinch New Road on Monday, June 10.