Aggression with bat and ball pays off for Plunkett

Cricket365
July 20, 2014

All-rounder Liam Plunkett cherished a fine performance, as England maintained command on day three of the second Test against India at Lord's in London on Saturday.

Plunkett struck a brisk half-century, during a telling 51-run alliance for the seventh wicket alongside wicketkeeper-batsman Matt Prior, in a final total of 319 all out.

The right-arm seamer later removed the dangerous Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli with successive deliveries, as India slipped to 169 for four before the close of play.

"I changed my length. I obviously got my lengths wrong first innings. But I'm quite an aggressive bowler. That's how I've got myself back in the England team – by being aggressive," said Plunkett.

"I didn't want to take my aggression away from myself because I'll end up bowling 80 miles per hour swingers with nothing on it. So it's just judging the right line and length to bowl. I got it wrong first innings, adjusted and felt a lot better.

"When Kohli came in, I just wanted to hit off-stump as hard as I could. I was trying to get the nick, but it just kept its line and took the top of off. "It's happened in the last few years, when I've felt good and got into a rhythm, I get wickets quickly, I can get three or four in a spell."

The hard-hitting Plunkett's commanding, career-best 55 not out featured eight boundaries and spanned 79 deliveries, duly surpassing the unbeaten 44 gathered against the West Indies at Headingley in Leeds in May 2007.

"Matt and I are both quite aggressive players, and if the ball is in our area we tend to score off it. I take pride in my batting. I love to do it. You learn from your mistakes. I restricted myself not to play certain shots and was just trying to line it up. Obviously, later, I had freedom to play my shots," he added.