ICC World Cup 2019 | This England team a different sort of animal compared to previous ones, states Liam Plunkett

07/09/2019

Liam Plunkett has cautioned Australia of the threat that his team presents stating that the present side has the required talent and desire to win unlike some teams from the past. He further stated that the players are confident of going all the way and revealed what it means for him personally.

England had a phenomenal run up to the World Cup entering the tournament as the number one team, having not lost a series for nearly two years, while not having lost successive ODIs since the last World Cup. However, they had a bit of a rough patch but they have bounced back with aplomb and are as ready as ever to play the World Cup semifinal.

Desite having hosted Three World Cups, England has never managed to triumph on cricket’s biggest stage. On the other hand, Australia are record five time champions as well as the defending champions and will be looking to add a sixth one to their collection at the home of their bitter rivals. However, 34-year-old Liam Plunkett has warned it is not going to be so easy this time around for the nation.

“They’ve been there and done it before but not against this bunch of players. We’re a different sort of animal compared to our last teams. We’ve played well for the past four years, we’re ranked number one and we feel in a good place. We feel on our day we can beat anyone in the world,” Liam Plunkett was reported saying by the Times of India.

“We had amazing players (previously) but I never thought we’d win a World Cup,” he added.

Plunkett has been around for years now, having made his debut in the fifty over format as far back as 2005. He has been in and out of the scene ever since and has managed to amass 87 caps in the format. He has watched from close quarters four World Cups and believes the present squad has an edge to them that was lacking in the previous teams.

“We’ve made it exciting again. I’ve played in teams where we didn’t expect to win. With this squad the public expect us to win games and win series. It would be nice to finish this four-year cycle. This journey we’ve been on, with this group of boys, it comes down to this,” Plunkett stated.

Edging towards the twilight of his career, Plunkett has worked hard to make it into a World Cup squad and it looks unlikely he will be available for selection when the mega event returns four year later. Hence, with all the pressure of being the hosts, the fact that it will be his last ever makes the grand occasion even more special for him.

“I don’t think I’ll play another World Cup so for me personally, it’s the biggest,” Plunkett concluded.

England will face off against the Kangaroos in the hotly anticipated clash at Birmingham on Thursday.