Liam Plunkett

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Liam Plunkett
England (Eng)
Liam Plunkett
Batting style Right-hand bat
Bowling type Right-arm fast-medium
Tests ODIs
Matches 6 16
Runs scored 69 200
Batting average 8.62 20.00
100s/50s -/- -/1
Top score 28 56
Balls bowled 167.2 122.3
Wickets 16 16
Bowling average 37.56 45.43
5 wickets in innings - -
10 wickets in match - N/A
Best bowling 3/17 3/51
Catches/stumpings 2/- 4/-

As of 14 August 2006
Source: Cricinfo.com

Liam Edward Plunkett (born 6th April 1985 in Middlesbrough) is an English cricketer who plays for Durham and England. In the 2005 season he was Durham's leading first-class wicket-taker, with 51 wickets at a bowling average of 30.84, including eight for 88 in his first game of the season against Leicestershire.

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[edit] Test cricket

He 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.

He was subsequently taken on the 2006 tour to India. He played in the second Test at Mohali, replacing Ian Blackwell in the side. However, he was largely unimpressive, taking only one wicket and scoring just one run over two innings. He was replaced by James Anderson for the third Test.

Injuries to Steve Harmison, Anderson and Jones meant Plunkett started the first Test of the Sri Lankan tour of England in the summer of 2006. He achieved his best figures to date on 25 May 2006, when taking 3 wickets before lunch against in the second Test at Edgbaston. This included a double wicket maiden in his first over of the day, dismissing Michael Vandort and Mahela Jayawardene.

[edit] One Day International cricket

Plunkett bowls in the Adelaide Oval nets
Enlarge
Plunkett bowls in the Adelaide Oval nets

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 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. [1]

[edit] Twenty20 International cricket

Plunkett made his international Twenty20 debut on 15 June 2006 against Sri Lanka, taking 1-37 from four overs; he did not bat.

[edit] Reference