Liam Plunkett: From Cricket World Cup Hero to MLCC Coach in the US

Strategic Insights -

England's 2019 Cricket World Cup win still feels like a lifetime ago for Liam Plunkett, but the former fast bowler has found a new passion in the United States, where he lives with his American wife and is a national development coach for Cricket Impact Group. As he prepares for the third season of Major League Cricket (MLC), Plunkett is spreading the gospel of cricket in the US, establishing academies and coaching courses while working as a director of the Cricket Impact Group. He credits his profile as a World Cup winner for his transition to life in the US, but admits that he's still in touch with his former teammates and is keen on a mooted reunion this summer.

Key Takeaways:

  • Liam Plunkett, a former Durham, Yorkshire, and Surrey fast bowler, won the 2019 Cricket World Cup with England, but has since relocated to the US, where he is a national development coach and director of the Cricket Impact Group.
  • Plunkett lives in Pennsylvania with his American wife, Emeleah, and is a green card holder, qualifying him for US citizenship next year.
  • He is committed to spreading the gospel of cricket in the US, establishing academies and coaching courses, and is proud of the growth of the sport, with 13.2 million people watching cricket in the US.
  • Plunkett is a talented player, even at 40, and is impressed with the progress of Harry Brook, a former teammate at Yorkshire, who is now England's white-ball captain.
  • He will be bowling to top players in the world, including Glenn Maxwell, Rachin Ravindra, and Mark Chapman, when the San Francisco Unicorns open their MLCC season against the Washington Freedom on Thursday.

Statistics:

  • 13.2 million people watch cricket in the US (per Plunkett).
  • 40 games played on a Saturday, 20 miles from Plunkett's home in Pennsylvania (per Plunkett).
  • 4 years of preparation and development before England's 2019 Cricket World Cup win (per Plunkett).
  • 40 years of age, still playing and coaching cricket (per Plunkett).

Sources:

  • "It has been six years since England won the Cricket World Cup, but for Liam Plunkett, it feels like another lifetime" (Source: The i Paper).
  • "I'm still involved in cricket but playing for England feels like so long ago, it feels like a separate kind of life" (Source: Liam Plunkett, The i Paper).
  • "There are so many cricket games on a weekend. On a Saturday, I could go 20 miles and find 40 games" (Source: Liam Plunkett, The i Paper).
  • "13.2 million people who watch cricket in the USA" (Source: Liam Plunkett, The i Paper).
  • "He's got a good cricket brain. England must think highly of him and from my view he looks like he's a very similar mindset to Stokesy" (Source: Liam Plunkett, The i Paper).
  • "A lot of cricketers are now seeing the way the world works in terms of NBA, NFL athletes, the commercial side, building partnerships" (Source: Liam Plunkett, The i Paper).
  • "You definitely pinch yourself" (Source: Liam Plunkett, The i Paper).