“I feel in the last year I’ve been one of the better bowlers and one of the most consistent”
Image courtesy of: Zimbio
England pace bowler Liam Plunkett believes that he has done enough to secure his place in the ODI squad.
Plunkett was 20 when he made his ODI debut in 2005, but as of late, he has become a regular face in 50-over format as he has played in 18 of England’s last 22 ODIs.
But, even though he feels that he has cemented his place in the side, the 32-year-old made it clear that he isn’t taking anything for granted.
“I’ve played long enough now where I’ve been in and out of the side, but I feel in the last year I’ve been one of the better bowlers and one of the most consistent,” he said. “It is nice to hear people consider you an established member of the team, and I feel I do deserve to be in the side.
“There are people wanting to come in, so you need to keep improving. If you stay still, people are going to come in and do well. Little niggles, if you get rested for a game, someone comes in and performs and you could lose your place.”
When he first began, Plunkett admitted that he relied solely on pace and bounce to do the trick, but as he matured, the Middlesbrough native has been stocking up his arsenal will different types of deliveries. And, as time goes on, Plunkett knows that he will have to keep adapting in order to keep excelling at the international level.
“I’m a completely different cricketer,” he said. “(But) you’ve got to always be thinking and changing, because people are watching you day in, day out.
“South Africa will have been watching videos and saying ‘this is what he does’ – but you can keep developing and produce a slower ball they’ve never seen before.
“You’ve got to keep adapting. Some people might play slower balls better than others, so you won’t bowl as many to them. You’ve got to change or people will work you out – and you’ll go round the park.”
Plunkett currently has 77 ODI wickets to his name, his he is determined to hit the triple figure mark in the near future.
“I’d love to get to 100 ODI wickets,” he said. “It is always nice to chip people off the list, people you looked up to when you were growing up.”