"I found out on Twitter"- Liam Plunkett on his exclusion from the England team after World Cup win
Liam Plunkett, whose last appearance for England came in the final of the 2019 World Cup, has expressed his disappointment with the treatment he has received from the England Cricket Board (ECB). England's next assignment after the World Cup was a tour to New Zealand, but Plunkett only learnt on Twitter about his omission from the team.
Liam Plunkett played a crucial role in England's thrilling win against New Zealand at Lord's in the 2019 World Cup final. The seamer picked 3-42, including the crucial wicket of Kane Williamson. But since then, he has been overlooked in all formats of the game.
The bowler recently opened up on his omission from the England team, saying:
"I can see where they were going; it’s just the way it was done. I found out on Twitter that I wasn’t going to South Africa (New Zealand), surely they can give me a call. It was just the way it was done; I thought it was shit to be honest with you," Liam Plunkett said in an interview with 'Headstrong: An Innings With'.
The 36-year-old understands the rationale behind the team management trying out youngsters, but Plunkett feels the decision-makers could have handled things differently.
“If someone actually called me to say, ‘Listen, being realistic, we’re going to go with the youngsters, thanks for everything you’ve done. Just the way it was dealt with, nobody really made a call,” Plunkett lamented.
At the time of his exclusion from the national team in 2019, Liam Plunkett took to Twitter to showcase his frustration, saying:
“Disappointed would be an understatement.”
I got a call from ECB a year later - Liam Plunkett
During the same interaction, Liam Plunkett said that he did get a call from ECB chairman Ed Smith, but it was almost a year after his omission from the national team. Unsurprisingly, the seamer was far from a mused,saying:
“I got a call when the England squad played in the bubble; I think it was a 40-man squad (55). I got a phone call a year later from Ed Smith (after he was first dropped), saying, ‘Mate, you’re not in the squad.’ And I was like, ‘It’s pretty late now; you could have called me a year ago. It had sort of sailed by; there was no need to call (at that point). It was just the way it was dealt with. I could see where they were going.”
Since making his international debut in 2005, Liam Plunkett struggled to establish himself in the national team but enjoyed a resurgence of sorts in 2012.
Plunkett might not have dominated the headlines with his performances in England's triumphant World Cup-winning campaign in 2019. But he played a key role in his team's win, taking an impressive tally of 11 wickets in seven games while bowling at an impressive economy of 4.6.