Liam Plunkett Exits English Cricket To Join Major League Cricket In USA
Liam Plunkett, one of England’s star performers in the 2019 ODI World Cup, has quit English cricket to take part in the Major League Cricket being held in the USA. He played 13 Tests, 89 ODI’s, and 22 T20I’s for the England national side.
Plunkett was crucial in his side’s win against New Zealand in the final, where he took three wickets including the big fish, Kiwi skipper Kane Williamson. Unfortunately for him, he never really settled into the squad after that as England started looking at options beyond him.
As a result, he has now decided to take up the sport in the USA, where cricket is slowly developing. Plunkett will serve a three-year residency period after which he becomes eligible to represent the USA. In a statement on the Surrey Cricket site, Plunkett said:
“Moving onto the next phase of my career, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to join Major League Cricket and focus my attention on helping to grow the sport in the United States.”
“I’ve enjoyed a fantastic career with England, and after retiring from international cricket, I am delighted to be able to help build the sport in America in both playing and coaching capacities.”
“I think there’s a lot of talent that’s for sure” – Liam Plunkett
Cricket in the USA doesn’t receive as much attention as the other major American Sports. However, things are slowly beginning to change as the sport is developing amongst the Americans. When asked about the standard of the game right now in America, Plunkett stated:
“I think there’s a lot of talent I’m sure. By watching you can see there’s some very good professionals, some good overseas players. Hopefully down the line, you see that switch where the youngsters in the USA are the ones that dominate the game but that’s gonna take time.”
“The youngsters need to play against international cricketers and get used to that level. Then, they can prove themselves against them and then realize ‘I can actually play as good as these guys and then [start] believing in themselves.”
Since debuting in 2005, Liam Plunkett took 41 wickets in 13 Tests, 135 wickets in 89 ODI’s, and 25 wickets in 22 T20I games.
