Top 5 unsung heroes of 2017

#4 Liam Plunkett

Liam Plunkett is one of the reasons why England have done very well in ODI cricket this year. The tall 32-year old pacer runs in all day and hits the deck hard. He has a very good ability to bowl over 90 mph and generate discomforting bounce.

This year, he has taken 36 wickets in 18 games at an average of 22.47 and a strike-rate of 23.97. He is fourth on the list of leading wicket-takers in 2017. Only Hasan Ali (the leading wicket-taker this year) and Rashid Khan have a better average and strike-rate than Plunkett.

After a sluggish start to the year in India, where he was taken for runs, Plunkett came back strongly and was amongst the wickets pretty quickly. He took 10 wickets in 3 games against the West Indies in the Caribbean and was England’s most successful bowler in the ICC Champions Trophy, where he picked up 8 wickets.

Despite his exploits with the ball, Plunkett hasn’t quite hogged the limelight in the English team. However, he has enjoyed a stellar 2017.