Liam Plunkett was one of the heroes of the 2019 ODI World Cup final for England with his 3-42 spell in which he dismissed New Zealand skipper and player of the tournament Kane Williamson. He also scored 10 off 10 in the chase. However, the bowling all-rounder felt that the treatment meted to him by the England and Wales Cricket Board was disappointing.
Speaking in an episode of Headstrong: An Innings With, Plunkett, 36, shredded into ECB and its management for not even conveying to him about where they were going with his future.
“I can see where they were going it’s just the way it was done,” Plunkett explained about England’s policy of going with youngsters. “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,” he added.
Plunkett, who represented England in 89 ODIs, picking 135 wickets and scoring 646 runs with a 50 to go alongside was more disappointed, not because he was not selected, but because ECB didn’t deem it fit to call and tell him.
“If someone actually called me to say, ‘Listen, being realistic, we’re going to go with the youngsters, thanks for everything you’ve done,” the dejected Yorkshire born said.
After not being given Central Contract by ECB, Plunkteet had tweeted, “Disappointed is an understatement”. He further showcased his disappointment on Twitter after not being picked for the New Zealand tour as well.
Plunkett who represented counties like Surrey, Durham and Yorkshire player confirmed that former ECB Chief selector Ed Smith did call him one year later after he was first dropped.
“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 off Ed Smith 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 then,” he said.
Plunkett, who was planning to go to the USA and play cricket over there, but whose plan was halted by the Covid, further said that ‘it was just the way it was dealt with’ that made him frustrated with ECB’s approach. “I could see where they were going,” he said.