Liam Plunkett has fond memories of England’s last Tri-Series in Australia when he was among Andrew Flintoff’s side that completed mission impossible.
Flintoff and much of the squad had just endured the harrowing experience of being whitewashed in the Ashes.
The Tri-Series was going a similar way as England lost five of their first six games. Any hope of reaching the best-of-three finals seemed to be gone.
Indeed, England’s fortunes worsened during that barren run, skittled for 110 and beaten by nine wickets in their fifth fixture.
A 21-year-old Plunkett capable of bowling at express pace came into the side for that mismatch, his 17th one-day international. He made a duck and, opening the bowling with Chris Tremlett, went for 39 in five wicketless overs.
Speaking exclusively to ecb.co.uk from England Lions’ tour of South Africa, Plunkett recalled:“I didn’t go that well in the first game in Adelaide but I bowled a ball that was a rocket, 92 or 93 miles per hour.
“I was surprised and got confidence from that even though we lost the game.”
Coach Duncan Fletcher retained the then-Durham seamer for the next encounter, and his faith was justified as Plunkett struck thrice and hit 25 not out.
However it was again in a losing cause, this time to New Zealand, meaning England had to win their last two round-robin contests to have of chance of qualifying for the finals.
Next up, Ed Joyce’s maiden international ton gave Plunkett and Co 293 to defend versus Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
If Joyce’s innings had offered hope, Plunkett gave the tourists belief when he bowled the feared left-hander Adam Gilchrist with the first delivery of the reply.
Plunkett, now 29 and with Yorkshire, said: “Before the first ball Paul Nixon, who was keeping, went to speak to fine-leg.
“I asked Fred [Flintoff] why he was doing that and he said he must think the first ball’s going to go down there. Brilliant, I thought.
“But the first ball hooped and took his stumps out of the ground. I remember that so vividly. From that I got three for 20-odd.”
Michael Clarke was among those victims, which came at less than two-and-a-half runs an over, as the tourists prevailed by 92 runs.
Plunkett claimed three wickets for a third-straight time as a newly-confident England got the win they needed against the Black Caps to seal a finals spot.
Matthew Hayden and Ricky Ponting had the better of Plunkett at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in first showpiece, but Paul Collingwood’s second straight hundred thrillingly aided a chase of 253 with three balls to spare.
What was unthinkable 10 days earlier was on.
Back at the SCG another strong knock from Collingwood set Australia 247 to take the finals series to a third game.
Now sharing the new ball with Sajid Mahmood, Plunkett snared Ponting before rain intervened at 39 for two from six overs.
During the delay Fletcher had sage advice for Plunkett, who immediately on the resumption ousted Gilchrist before adding Clarke at the end of that over.
Plunkett picks up the story.
“I struggled to start with – there were three fours, although one was over the keeper’s head and another a nick.
“I went off, and Fletch said try round the wicket to Gilchrist. First ball after the break swung and cleaned his poles up.
“Clarke nicked a wide one, and Ponting was a jaffa. It was amazing to win that with that team that we had. New Zealand had a good team as well.”
Confirmation of England’s triumph, by 34 runs on Duckworth/Lewis, came during a third rain break.
An initially deeply disappointing tour had remarkably ended on a high.
Plunkett’s 12 scalps made him England’s joint-top wicket-taker with Flintoff, although he played four less times than the all-rounder who led for most of the series in Michael Vaughan's injury absence.
“It was an amazing trip after being thrashed in the Ashes,” reflected Plunkett, who has not played an ODI since 2011 but returned to the Test XI in 2014.
“Apart from last year, that was probably the best part of my England career so far.”