"My role in the team has been clearly defined and that's as a strike bowler who looks to do something special in a short spell," Morne Morkel proclaimed in late 2008.

Well, it has been well over a year since the 'strike bowler's' last Test four-for (against Bangladesh!) and an additional couple of months since his maiden five-wicket haul (against Bangladesh!). His ODI career isn't pretty reading on the wicket-taking front either, with his one and only four-bag against a struggling Windies unit in February 2008 a veritable age ago now.

Sad but true for Morkel fans, it is becoming increasingly obvious that the lanky speedster is not cut out for the job as Makhaya Ntini's successor or Dale Steyn's second fiddle, and Wayne Parnell's late-swing theatrics at Centurion hasn't done the struggling seamer's cause any good either.

True, five-day cricket is an entirely different beast and an isolated performance in a one-dayer is not enough to go on as of yet, but if 19-year-old Parnell puts in a couple more solid performances against the Aussies he may well pip Morkel as the man to complement Steyn, Ntini, Jacques Kallis and Paul Harris in the attack that'll take on the English toward the end of the year.

And it's relatively evident that the Proteas' brains trust has Parnell's participation in the four Tests against Andrew Strauss and company in mind.

The fact that they've handed the teenager a national contract on the back of a mere couple of decent Twenty20 International showings says a lot for Cricket South Africa's preparation of Parnell. Furthermore, not only his selection for the crucial clash against Oz on Sunday but also his taking the new ball ahead of Kallis or even Albie Morkel exemplifies the plans in place for the Grey College graduate.

Moreover, although he hasn't been availed the opportunity to strap on the pads at senior level yet, 'Parny' is, by all accounts of his showing with the bat at last year's Under-19 World Cup, an all-rounder - a role Morne Morkel (Test batting average: 13, ODI batting average: 17) has failed to fulfill despite the apparent, unwarranted insistence that he bat at eight in the order when selected.

If that's still not enough to win the pro-Parnell argument consider this: Ntini - right-hander, Steyn - right-hander, Kallis - right-hander, Morkel - right-hander, Parnell - left-hander. The latter's inclusion would do well to bring a Mitchell Johnson or Zaheer Khan-esque influence to a bowling attack often guilty of sporting a collective sameness to it.

"I think he's been working really well. He is a young guy with a lot of potential and he showed that today. I am really excited for him and he deserves all the success," Graeme Smith enthused of Parnell after the southpaw's Man-of-the-Match performance at SuperSport Park. "As he knows, there's still a long road going forward."

Be they as simple as standard post-match pleasantries or as prophetic as selection for the home series against England, the South African captain's words spell backing and promise for Parnell. Meanwhile, Morkel falls prey to 'rotation-policy bowler' status in the ODI ranks and is left to question his future in five-dayers.