Former England cricketer Liam Plunkett swapped his cricket colors for baseball gloves on Friday, playing his first game for independent American club Oakland Bowlers and claiming a strikeout.
Plunkett, 41, was part of England’s 2019 World Cup winning side – his final international appearance – taking three wickets in the tie final against New Zealand, which England won by a narrow margin.
He later moved to the United States, where his wife lives, and later played Major League Cricket for the San Francisco Unicorns.
His latest venture came with ballers participating in the Pioneer Baseball League (PBL), an independent competition and official Major League Baseball (MLB) partner league. The seam bowler falls under the PBL’s “marketing player” exception, which allows teams to temporarily sign high-profile cross-sport athletes.
Facing the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds at Raimondi Park, Plunkett started on the mound and recorded a strikeout in the process.
“At first, I thought it was going to be a formal open pitch, but it was the real thing. I was on the mound first, a little nervous, but the catcher was great,” Plunkett said in a post-match interview.
“But yeah, I mean I got that strike out. I think the hitter didn’t know what was coming. It was a little unusual, the combination between bowling and then pitching.”
“Play the first game, get a strike out. What more could I ask for? Happy days!”
Notably, Plunkett represented England in 13 Tests, 89 ODIs and 12 T20Is in his glittering international career spanning 14 years. He has made 201 dismissals across formats with two five-wicket hauls.