Liam Plunkett hopes England form can put him in T20 shop window

Plunkett has become an increasingly key cog in England’s limited-overs sides in recent months and sits third on the list of leading one-day international wicket-takers this year.

The 32-year-old Yorkshire paceman has the chance to add to his 28 scalps during the forthcoming series against West Indies and he admitted he has an ulterior motive in seeking to excel against the likes of Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels.

The one-off T20 this Saturday and five ODIs that follow give him a chance to put himself in the shop window for this winter’s Big Bash League in Australia and the Indian Premier League next year.

And while playing for England and Yorkshire remains crucial for Plunkett, he believes it would be remiss of him to ignore not just the earning potential but the possibility to better himself against world-class batsmen that franchise cricket can offer.

“Obviously I want to play as long as I can for England,” said Plunkett. “But the opportunities that are around the world now in terms of T20s, you want to stick around.

“I’ve never been driven by money but I’d be stupid not to explore that opportunity and play in those competitions around the world. It would improve my cricket, too.

“The better you perform for England and Yorkshire the more opportunities that will be given to you because people can see you’re performing. There’s a few more games this year with England and Yorkshire, so my aim is to finish the season strongly and that’s when you can speak to other teams.”

Plunkett is at an age where most fast bowlers would be winding down their careers but he has credited his longevity – he made his international debut in 2005 – to a healthier lifestyle in recent years.

Some of the changes he has introduced to his routine include yoga, pilates and Olympic lifting.

And despite niggling groin and hamstring injuries disrupting his progress with Yorkshire since England’s Champions Trophy campaign, he believes the modifications to his way of training can only be a positive.

He said: “It’s just as you get older. It’s been the last few years since I came back to Yorkshire. I’ve always trained hard but it’s just training smarter and eating cleaner. For me, I feel like I bowl best and bowl quicker if I’m a bit lighter and more powerful.

“The movements that you use (in Olympic lifting) are not far off cricket, you’re using your hips and legs. It doesn’t have to be that heavy and it’s something I enjoy.

“You still want to improve and get quicker so if you can do that more efficiently then why not?”

Plunkett strives to be among the fastest bowlers in England as he looks towards the final years of his career and a potential swansong at the 2019 World Cup.

He will be 34 by then but is confident he will still be a part of the set-up and is driven by England’s recent near misses, having played in the World T20 final defeat last year and their run to the Champions Trophy semi-finals this summer.

He said: “I’d love to play another World Cup. We got so close at the T20 but it would be nice to be around for 2019.

“That would be a good way to finish: to win the World Cup with this bunch of lads with the way we’ve been playing this cricket for the last few years would be absolutely the dream.”