Liam Plunkett

Liam Edward Plunkett (born 6 April 1985) is an English cricketer who bowls right-arm fast medium.

Plunkett started his career with Durham, making his debut for the senior side in 2003 having played for the club's academy.

He took 19 first-class wickets in his debut season, followed by 31 in his second.

In the 2005 season he was Durham's leading first-class wicket-taker, and that year was called up to the England squad to tour Pakistan in November and December where he played his first Tests and One Day Internationals (ODIs).

Between November 2005 and June 2007 Plunkett played 9 Test and 27 ODIs before being dropped by England.

In 2005 he improved his bowling in the limited overs form of the game, averaging 29.10 and taking 19 wickets.

Plunkett was called up for the England One Day International and Test squads to tour Pakistan in November & December 2005 after an injury to Simon Jones.

He made his Test debut in the third Test of that series in Lahore taking figures of 2–125 in the innings defeat.

Plunkett came on as a Super Sub in his first ODI on 10 December 2005 after Kevin Pietersen went off with a back injury.

Plunkett finished with England's best bowling figures, taking 3 wickets for 51 runs, and he was also involved in the run out of Shoaib Akhtar.

They were three of the last six wickets, which fell for 23 as England went on to win the match by 42 runs.

Two days later, when Plunkett entered the crease, England's score was a disappointing 130 for 8 in the second ODI.

He added 56 runs to the total in a record ninth-wicket 100 run partnership with Vikram Solanki before chipping a return catch to Shoaib Akhtar.

England needed to keep the Pakistani run rate below five an over, however, after setting a target of 231, but Plunkett's seven overs went for 63 – Kamran Akmal taking 39 off the 25 balls Plunkett bowled to him.

In 2006 he averaged 27.15 in the County Championship as his reputation grew.

He remained consistent in the County Championship in 2007, averaging just over 30.

Plunkett signed for the Nashua Dolphins in November 2007; fellow Durham fast bowler Steve Harmison signed for Highveld Lions.

Harmison and Plunkett played against each other in a four-day match on 15–18 November 2007.

He was part of the Durham side which won the County Championship in 2008 for the first time in their history.

He averaged 32.50 with the ball and 27.28 with the bat.

In 2009 Durham retained the title, with Plunkett averaging 39 with the ball and 38.94 with bat.

In 2011 and 2012, Plunkett struggled with form and played just three Championship matches for Durham.

In 2011 and 2012, Plunkett struggled with form and played just three Championship matches for Durham.

In October 2012, Plunkett signed to play for Yorkshire.

He stated, "At this stage of my career, I believe that a fresh challenge would benefit me and I feel this is required to help me reach my goal of representing my country again".

In his first season at Yorkshire, Plunkett played in 12 of the club's 16 matches in the County Championship, managing to take 36 wickets.

He credits Jason Gillespie, Yorkshire's coach and former Australia international fast bowler, with helping him regain his confidence and felt that his problems had been exacerbated by over-coaching.

Looking for a fresh start he changed clubs, moving from Durham to Yorkshire for the start of the 2013 season.

Under the tutelage of Yorkshire coach and former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie, Plunkett's fortunes improved and he was awarded his county cap in 2013.

The following year, Plunkett was recalled to the England Test team.

Primarily a bowler, Plunkett also has two first-class centuries to his name and a batting average of about 24.

Under the tutelage of Yorkshire coach and former Australia fast bowler Jason Gillespie, Plunkett's fortunes improved and he was awarded his county cap in 2013.

The following year, Plunkett was recalled to the England Test team.

In an interview in June 2014 Plunkett explained "Different coaches told me different things and when you're a youngster you're like a sponge and take a lot of things in. ... When I came to Yorkshire, Jason Gillespie just told me to run it and bowl quick. And when I did that I backed myself, bowled in my good areas and started picking up wickets."

As proof of his worth as a tailender, after just 18 ODI games he held a part of both the 8th and 9th wicket partnership records for England.

In April 2018, Plunkett received his maiden IPL call up, when he was signed by the Delhi Daredevils as a replacement for the injured Kagiso Rabada.

On 31 August 2021, Plunkett officially signed with Major League Cricket for its proposed inaugural season in 2023, cutting short his contract with Surrey in the process Until then, he will play for The Philadelphians of Minor League Cricket beginning in the summer of 2022.

He was an England international until 2019, and was part of the squad that won the 2019 Cricket World Cup.

He most recently played domestic cricket for Surrey County Cricket Club and Welsh Fire.

He currently plays for Minor League Cricket side The Philadelphians.