Matt Parkinson is hoping his fruitful leg-spin partnership with Adil Rashid can carry England into the T20 World Cup in the UAE as he insists Pakistan series success has helped him push his case for regular selection 

• Parkinson, Rashid and Moeen Ali starred as England beat Pakistan on Sunday 
• Lancashire spinner Parkinson, 24, took an economical 1-25 off his four overs 
• And he hopes his normally sub-46pmh bowling can keep him in the white-ball XI
• The T20 World Cup, starting in October, will be played on dry pitches in the UAE
• Those conditions could suit a two- or three-man bowling attack with Parkinson 

Matt Parkinson is hoping the contrast between him and Adil Rashid will encourage England to carry on employing two leg-spinners all the way to the Twenty20 World Cup.

The sight of both flourishing in the same England team, at Headingley of all places, against Pakistan in the second international on Sunday was an exciting one ahead of a World Cup that will be played on dry and tired pitches in the United Arab Emirates.

Now the Lancastrian wants England to continue an experiment that saw three spinners, including Moeen Ali's off-spin, take five wickets between them, starting with a 'dream' first appearance for his country at his home Old Trafford ground on Tuesday evening.

'We are different,' said Parkinson of himself and the far more established Rashid. 'He bowls faster than me and uses his googly a lot more while a lot has been made of how slowly I bowl. 

'From each end it was different and they couldn't just line one of us up. I would love to carry on playing with Rash. I don't think it will always be feasible but I can only hope the performances I'm putting in can help with that.

'It is a rare thing to see two leg-spinners. Growing up I caught the back end of Shane Warne and then a little bit of Stuart MacGill but I don't think I ever saw them together. Rash is No 1 and an absolute gun bowler but I'd like to think this week has pushed my case.'

It is that slow speed of Parkinson – he rarely exceeds 46 miles per hour – that was considered an obstacle to him succeeding at international level. But he has been turning it into a strength this season, at first deputising for Rashid and then complementing him.

'In the past I thought about my speeds too much,' said Parkinson. 'When we toured South Africa a lot was written about it and I found myself looking at the board to see if I could push 47 mph.

'But now I've embraced it. We had a chat last summer and I said I'd like to be the only bowler who does it this way. It would be pretty cool not to have to conform to what other spinners do but actually be niche.'

Parkinson will fulfil his Old Trafford dream if he becomes one of four Lancashire players expected to feature in tonight's decider alongside Jos Buttler, Saqib Mahmood and a batsman making a big name for himself in Liam Livingstone.

Livingstone followed up the fastest century by an England player in any format at Trent Bridge on Friday by hitting an enormous six over the new Emerald Stand at Headingley. It was one of the biggest hits ever seen in England.

'He claims to have hit two bigger ones,' added Parkinson. 'He's hit me for a couple of similar ones in training but that's the biggest I've seen in a game.'