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Liam Plunkett’s partly representing Sajid Mahmood here as well (if it’s possible for one person to represent an entirely different person). It’s that whole ‘actually, those bowlers aren’t shite’ sentiment that we expressed a month or so ago.
Both bowlers are synonymous with Duncan Fletcher prematurity, but that word ‘prematurity’ is the key there. These pair were selected on promise and just because they didn’t meet those expectations then and there doesn’t mean all promise has been washed out of them, like a beer stain out of your second favourite T-shirt.
Maybe that promising stain was greasier than that. Maybe it’s never going to wash out. Maybe it’ll expand and take over the whole T-shirt until you can’t even see the stain any more, because the whole T-shirt’s the same greasy colour; a better colour. Now it’s your favourite T-shirt and the one that was previously your favourite has to be thrown away or dumped in county cricket in order to get some overs under its belt.
Liam Plunkett is still only 23. He’s about a month older than Stuart Broad. Even we weren’t fully on the scrap heap at that age.
England certainly need something to spice up their bowling attack. Harmison and Sidebottom appear to have bowled themselves out of the team, and none of our bowlers are consistent match winners.
Here’s hoping you’re right, KC.
I like Liam Plunkett.
I met him once in Marks and Spencers.
I’ve always felt that there ought to be more cricketers who look like teddies.
I didn’t tell him this at the time.
He’s only 23?
I’m having trouble deciding whether that makes me feel old or young. Old, I think.
I was wondering just the other day whether anyone else still remembered Liam Plunkett, strangely enough.
Good pick, KC.
I’m younger than Liam Plunkett (and Stuart Broad) – does that mean I’m not fully on the scrap heap? Excellent news.
Plunkett is about a year older than Broad, incidentally.
I’m 28 and pretty rubbish at cricket. But I still live in hope of a call up. If I near the scrapheap, I might just go and play for Scotland aka Ryan Watson.
Incidentally I have strategically taken up badminton as a ploy to feature in London 2012. If they admit darts as an Olympic sport, I’ll drop the badminton pretty quickly though.
Reckon I’ve got 7 years max to get a cap / medal in something. You don’t get many SHaun Udal stories these days.
There’s a month between their birthdays. We kind of glossed over years.
Maths isn’t our strongest suit.
The current world record for a smash in badminton is 206mph, which makes it the fastest racquet sport in the world by miles. This smash would have been fired from a distance of roughly 10 yards, which gives you about one tenth of a second to get out of the way (sorry, I mean to return with a perfect drop shot). So it’s like being bowled at by Brett Lee from half way down the track (I’ll admit that a shuttlecock is probably not quite as damaging as a cricket ball).
This is the level of athleticism we’re talking about:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2358453349_b7ecc2cbd2.jpg?v=0
I’d go with the darts option now, if I were you.
(This information is brought to you by a badminton player who just can’t be doing with people who think that badminton is some sort of easy game for church youth groups, and absolutely can’t stand people who think it can be played outdoors.)
Benno, while you don’t get many Shaun Udal stories, they seem to have risen to prominence of late, viz Bryce McGain. Don’t let the dream die!
Perhaps this might be more the ticket, though:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOlEYNlSZ44
Plunkett had a reasonable tour with the Lions and is now referred on the Durham Cricket website as an allrounder – scored 70 a couple of matches ago and taken 3 for not many in another preseason in South Africa. Hope Durham actually play him this season – he had pretty poor pickings last season.
And oh dear – I read that sentence of String’s as “the late Bryce McGain…”
I thought he played quite a bit for Durham last year? His bowling was very wayward at times. He also had side strain mid season I think [a result of being one to watch last season?]