ICC World Cup 2019 | You can never underestimate MS Dhoni, claims Liam Plunkett
Liam Plunkett was quick to come to MS Dhoni’s defence after the veteran has come under severe criticism for his recent performances, stating that a player like him are match winners. He went on to discuss his team’s crucial victory over England and their plans going forward in the tournament.
Liam Plunkett put on a display from the very top drawer as he picked up three major wickets for 55 runs in his allocated 10 overs to clinch a 31 run victory for his country. His spell in the death overs proved to be crucial as he kept MS Dhoni and Kedar Jadhav in strict check but he was all praise for the wicket keeper batsman.
“I just think in the next game he (Dhoni) can go smashing. I think you can never underestimate Dhoni. His talent stands out as how good player he is,” Plunkett told reporters at the post-match press conference, reported Hindustan Times.
At a point of time, India seemed to be cruising with Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma sharing a 138 run partnership for the second wicket until Liam Plunkett came in with his the spell and off his very first ball got a set Virat Kohli caught on the covers.
“(Rohit and Virat’s batting was) similar to us. We started off really well. The new ball was the time to bat as it was going to get tougher later on. It was hard to hit. The best thing about holding our nerves was we don’t go into our shell. We express ourselves and play positively. We know we are a good team. When we are at our best we can beat any team,” Plunkett said.
England now sit third on the table after the win against India and if they win against New Zealand, they will book their spots in the semi-finals. However, even if they lose, a Bangladesh win against Pakistan will be enough to book England a semifinal berth but the team does not want to leave anything to chance.
“We know we need to go and win the next game and get the momentum going. New Zealand are a good team. They are right up there, it will be a tough game but we are ready for that. We know we need to play good cricket. It is as simple as that and take the momentum from this game. It is a big win, it is a World Cup,” Plunkett concluded.
