PLUNKETT EYES NEW HORIZONS
LIAM PLUNKETT already has a World Cup winners’ medal tucked safely away. But he’s not ruling out adding some stars and stripes to his international record across the Pond with the USA before he finally calls time on his career.
Plunkett was a standout performer for England at last summer’s tournament and took three wickets against New Zealand in an unforgettable final.
Despite those heroics, that now looks likely to have been the Surrey star’s final match for England.
But having tied the knot with American Emeleah Erb – and with the USA ready to welcome him with open arms – he could one day find himself playing in the competition again, in the colours of America rather then his home country.
“I want to play for Surrey for as long as I can but further down the line, if I’m there and my wife is happy there, who knows where cricket can lead you?” he said.
“If there was a chance to be involved in USA cricket in whatever role there is, then I would probably jump at it.
“They have just had a draft for the Minor League cricket competition over there and next year they’re introducing the Major League, which is going to be more professional.
“How fast that will happen because of everything that’s happening around the pandemic, I’m not sure. But the potential is huge.”
At the age of 35, Plunkett insists that he still feels as fit as ever.
And he looked back to somewhere near his best in his three T20 appearances for Surrey this summer.
On Thursday he will be running in against Kent in the quarter-finals of the Blast, hoping for another shot at Finals’ Day which will finish the season next weekend.
And after the craziest of years, he’s hoping to finish Surrey’s campaign with a bang – even though there will be no crowd there to lift his side.
“Obviously you want that crowd, you want that buzz,” he said. “But, for me, as soon as I get the ball in my hand and there’s a batter there, I don’t really think about it.”
And he has no plans to call it a day anytime soon.
He said: “I always turn up to a game thinking that I can score a quick 50 or take a 5-for, and while I’ve still got that, then I’ll carry on.”