Reports: Liam Plunkett might play for USA with his England career seemingly over

Liam Plunkett’s last game in an England shirt came when they faced off against New Zealand in the all-important ICC World Cup 2019 final at the Lord’s cricket ground. England emerged victorious in what is described as perhaps the greatest ODI ever played and were crowned World Champions for the very first time. He picked three wickets in that final.

Plunkett played his role in the tournament to the tee with both the ball and the bat, but since then, he hasn’t managed to earn a recall into the team with the ECB looking towards young legs. Since the world cup win, the 34-year-old has missed out on limited-overs squads for New Zealand and South Africa tour and is reportedly looking for new opportunities elsewhere, preferably the United States of America, to end his cricketing career.

Liam Plunkett has preliminary talks with USA Cricket

Liam Plunkett remains hopeful of forcing his way back into the England side, but he has had preliminary talks with USA Cricket chief executive Iain Higgins as the 34-year-old plots the final years of his career, according to a DailyMail report. He has stayed in the country for the past few years with his American wife of 16 months Emeleah.

As per the ICC eligibility regulations, which were updated in October 2018, a player can switch from one country to another upon the completion of a three-year sit-out period. This means Plunkett will become eligible to play for the USA on July 14, 2022, providing he does not add to his 124 England caps in the interim. He would also have to fulfil the nationality qualification criteria by gaining citizenship, a process that takes three years for spouses of US nationals.

However, it seems his immediate priority is to force his way into the Three Lions’ and make his way back into ECB’s plans for the upcoming T20 World Cup in Australia this October. Plunkett had featured in 14 consecutive T20 squads and was a member of the team who finished runners-up to West Indies in India in 2016. He still has two years on his Surrey contract but has begun qualifications for becoming a strength and conditioning coach, as he looks at other ventures.

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