Liam Plunkett open to represent USA post England rebuff

Liam Plunkett open to represent USA: The English pacer has been constantly ignored by their cricket board post the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

In the seven ODIs which England pacer Liam Plunkett played during the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019, he picked 11 wickets at an average of 24.72, an economy rate of 4.85 and a strike rate of 30.5.

While the numbers don’t make him the best English bowler in the tournament, they also don’t take away from him the fact that he provided unmatched control to their bowling attack especially in the middle overs.

Wickets of Kane Williamson, Henry Nicholls and James Neesham in the final match further highlights the 35-year old player’s contribution in England’s maiden World Cup winning campaign.

After being left out from the central contract list a few months ago, Plunkett wasn’t included in the 55-man training group which has resumed practice post the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the same unequivocally hinting at the selectors moving past him, Plunkett hasn’t ruled out the prospect of him playing for USA. Plunkett, whose is married to an American woman, will have to wait for three years before being eligible to play for USA.

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“It would be nice to be involved in some sort of cricket over there [USA]. My kids might be American, so it would be quite cool to say to them that I played for England and the US,” Plunkett was quoted as saying by BBC.

Liam Plunkett open to represent USA

Having dismissed 47 batsmen in 32 ODIs at an average of 28.14, an economy rate of 5.88 and a strike rate of 28.6 in his last two years of representing England, Plunkett was their third-highest wicket-taker in ODIs.

Plunkett, who will be 38 by the time he becomes eligible to play for USA, further laid emphasis on helping with the development especially with his 14-year experience of playing international cricket.

“I’m English and I’ll always be an Englishman, but if I’m still fit and there’s an opportunity to play at the highest level, why would I not take it?

“If I go over there and end up being a US citizen, or have a green card, I can help the development, especially being someone who has just finished with England. It would be nice to get involved in that,” Plunkett mentioned.

It is worth mentioning that former West Indies batsman Xavier Marshall, former South Africa pacer Rusty Theron and former India U-19 pacer Saurabh Netravalkar are among the cricketers who currently play for USA despite starting their careers with other countries.

About the author

Dixit Bhargav

Born and brought up in Pathankot, Dixit Bhargav is an engineering and sports management graduate who works as a Cricket Editor at The SportsRush. Having written more than 10,000 articles across more than five years at TSR, his first cricketing memory dates back to 2002 when former India captain Sourav Ganguly had waved his jersey at the historic Lord’s balcony. What followed for an 8-year-old was an instant adulation for both Ganguly and the sport. The optimist in him is waiting for the day when Punjab Kings will win their maiden Indian Premier League title. When not watching cricket, he is mostly found in a cinema hall watching a Punjabi movie.

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