The former Durham, Yorkshire and Surrey fast bowler was an integral member of the team that won the tournament under Eoin Morgan’s captaincy in 2019, taking three wickets in the dramatic tied final against New Zealand at Lord’s that England eventually claimed on a boundary countback.
It proved to be Plunkett’s last game for his country. Two years later he made the move to the United States, where he is now preparing for the third season of Major League Cricket (MLC).
PACE & BOUNCE!Liam Plunkett utilizes both in this CRAFTY wicket of the in-form, Nauman Anwar!5⃣3⃣/2⃣ (5.5) pic.twitter.com/iDaFgLKtwD
— Cognizant Major League Cricket (@MLCricket) July 16, 2023It is also why he is so committed to spreading the gospel of cricket in the US.
“I feel very settled here and the opportunity to grow the game over here is massive,” Plunkett tells The i Paper from his home on the outskirts of Philadelphia.
“When I came across here I was very surprised there are so many cricket games on a weekend. On a Saturday, I could go 20 miles and find 40 games. It’s a thriving sport, it’s just the infrastructure that needs to keep improving.”
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Yet six years on and now 40, he has both physical and mental distance from that heady summer.
“I often forget I was a good cricketer and played for England.
Despite that, Plunkett still keeps in touch with his former England team-mates.
He is also keen for a mooted reunion this summer after Morgan, speaking on commentary during England’s recent ODI series against the West Indies, revealed the 2019 squad had never been in the same room together since the final at Lord’s.
“I think Morgs is in that. Hopefully we can meet around that time, if not and I have a couple of days’ break I’d love to fly over.
Liam Plunkett plays for the San Francisco Unicorns in Major League Cricket (Photo: Getty)
Plunkett still keeps up with England’s fortunes and is impressed with how Harry Brook, a former team-mate at Yorkshire, has started his time as white-ball captain.
“I saw what a talent he was. He reminded me a lot of Ben Stokes when he came up. He just went out and played the game with freedom and did his own thing.
Not that Plunkett isn’t still taking on the best players in the world.
The fixture might also have seen Washington’s Steve Smith take on Pat Cummins had Australia not been involved in this week’s World Test Championship final at Lord’s.
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“I played in Grand Prairie last year, it’s as good as you’ll get because you’re playing the best in the world on a good pitch.
Cummins signed a four-year deal with San Francisco last year and although he is missing this summer’s tournament to manage his workload, his commitment to MLC felt significant.
“But the fact he turned up last year and ran in to bowl his heart out and win a lot of games shows you he’s taking it very seriously and he knows the competition is serious.
As for his own journey, Plunkett admits he would have found it hard to believe what he has achieved and where he is now had you told him when he was a teenager coming through at Durham.
“Obviously, then meeting an American girl 18 years ago. Being from Middlesbrough, the only American girls I saw were on Saved By The Bell so that was an exotic thing for me.
“Who’d have thought I’d be here trying to build some cool stuff with the cricket and living two hours from New York? It’s definitely strange but I’m very thankful.”
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