England's World Cup Champion Begins Baseball Career

In the world of cricket, it is quite rare for cricketers to switch to a completely different sport, but many retired cricketers stay in the sport by choosing a coaching or commentary career. However, former England star bowler Liam Plunkett has taken a different path, where he has become a professional baseball player in the United States, marking a new journey in his new sporting career. Let's have a look at Liam Plunkett baseball journey from a professional and a World Cup Winner.

Liam Plunkett Baseball Journey

The English cricketer hung up his boots after winning the ICC World Cup 2019, where he was a standout bowler for the side. After enjoying a successful cricket career, former England fast bowler Liam Plunkett has taken on a completely new challenge by stepping into professional baseball, making his baseball debut for the Oakland Ballers on June 26, 2026, against the Yuba-Sutter Freebirds.

The cricketer went to the US after his retirement to play MLC and help cricket grow there, but his path took a different turn when he was introduced to the sport firsthand. The moment when the Ballers and Major League Cricket's San Francisco Unicorns held a cross-training session, where players from both sports learned from each other. This made Plunkett curious to try this sport and started practising it seriously, which he called this opportunity “a dream come true”.

List of Cricketers in Baseball

Liam Plunkett has become the first England cricketer in baseball, while he is not the only one who has played this sport after a cricket career. The former West Indies batter Kieran Powell, who left cricket in 2016 to chase his dream of playing Major League Baseball. He trained with several MLB organisations but never made a professional appearance.

Another name on the list is one of the most famous cricketers in the world, Adam Gilchrist, who, although he never played baseball professionally, was once offered the chance to transition to baseball, where the talent scouts of the game found a lot of potential in him, who even quoted, “Never underestimate what Gilchrist could achieve in baseball.” However, Gilchrist declined this offer and continued his cricket career.