Liam Plunkett has admitted that he considered retirement during England’s remarkable four years following the dismal 2015 World Cup.
Plunkett, 34, was reflecting on his mental health at an event encouraging children to play cricket.
The 34-year-old admitted that at one point he had spoken with captain Eoin Morgan as he considered his international future in late 2015.
“I thought I’d never play white-ball again,” Plunkett said.
“I said, ‘Listen, I’m not sure I’ll play, I may as well just retire’, and Morgs (England captain Eoin Morgan) was like, ‘Mate, I’d hold on a bit. Just chill out.’
However, the former Yorkshire fast bowler has been able to force himself back into England’s white-ball team making 60 appearances over the last four years.
His form has contributed to England’s white-ball successes including their World Cup success earlier this month.
During the World Cup Plunkett’s most decisive spells came in must-win games as he firstly took 3/55 against India in a match crucial to England’s semi-final progression before taking 3/42 against New Zealand in the final.
However, whilst the quest of trying to win England’s first-ever 50-over World Cup motivated Plunkett, the thrill of winning it was soon replaced by a lull.
However, Plunkett then experienced a lull. “The whole World Cup, I was sleeping four hours a night, I couldn’t sleep at all, I was on edge,” Plunkett said. “I never felt tired during the games, I was just excited. Wanted to do well, probably the last World Cup you play in 50-over competition, what you’ve built up for the last four years as a group.”
“I went from winning the World Cup and all of a sudden I’m sat on my sofa watching Netflix a day and a half later. It was quite hard and honestly I felt quite down a little bit,”
“Everything was building up to that World Cup and it was the highest point of my career. I’m not sure anything’s going to happen like that again in cricket for me.
“In the blink of an eye it was gone, as I say it felt like a massive low then. Everyone just disappeared everywhere else, so it was sad a little bit because you still want to be around people.”
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