PLUNKETT MAY PLAY FOR USA
cricket World cup hero Liam Plunkett could finish his international career with the United states following his england selection snub. Plunkett has not been picked since his threewicket performance at Lord’s last July altered the momentum of the World cup final. For now he remains fully committed to forcing his way back into england’s limited-overs set-up, despite being overlooked in the latest round of central contracts last september and failing to make squads for the tours of new Zealand and south africa this winter. But preliminary talks have
taken place with USA Cricket chief executive Iain Higgins as the 34-year-old plots the final years of his career and beyond. Outside the English domestic season, Plunkett has spent the past few years living in the States with his American wife of 16 months Emeleah. Under the International Cricket Council’s eligibility regulations, which were updated in October 2018, a player can switch from one country to another upon the completion of a three-year sit-out period. He would also have to fulfil the nationality qualification criteria by gaining citizenship, a process that takes three years for spouses of US nationals. Plunkett would become available for the USA on July 14, 2022, providing he does not add to his 124 England caps in the interim and that he is ‘able to demonstrate (by his possession of a valid passport issued by the relevant country) that he is a national of the country’. His immediate priority, however, is to try to force his way into England’s plans for the Twenty20 World Cup in Australia in October. Prior to the tour of New Zealand last autumn, Plunkett had featured in 14 consecutive T20 squads and was a member of the team who finished runners-up to West Indies in India in 2016. He has two years of his county contract with Surrey to run but has begun qualifications to become a strength and conditioning coach as he considers options Stateside. The USA national team are top of World Cricket League Two, ranked 15th in the ICC’s ODI rankings and well positioned to make the 10-team qualifying competition for the next World Cup.