Monday 18 September 2017 11:00, UK
Liam Plunkett has finally found his niche with England as he looks to end the year as the leading wicket-taker in one-day internationals.
Plunkett has 28 scalps in 13 appearances in 2017, placing him third behind Pakistan's Hasan Ali (31) and Afghanistan's Rashid Khan (36) with a five-match series against the West Indies still to play.
He is already warmed up for the task having taken three for 27 in the one-off T20 between the sides and is only a couple of strong displays away from claiming a rare individual accolade.
The 32-year-old made his England bow 12 years ago but was frequently on the periphery of Test and limited-overs squads and did not play a single international between February 2011 and June 2015.
"I'm quite comfortable in my own skin with England now," he said. "I feel in a good place and I feel like I deserve to be in the 11, which is always nice.
"I've felt in a good place these last 18 months. In the last few years even when it didn't go well you've got the backing to play, which maybe I didn't have previously.
"It's good to have that feeling and it would be great to be the number one wicket-taker. I've never been in that situation before for England and it would be great to achieve that but also good to win the series."
The Yorkshire seamer doubles down on the final point, stressing the importance of results over recognition.
"It would be nice to get the eight wickets and a milestone for sure but winning is more important than statistics," he added.
"That's why this team has been so good, people want to win games for England and it's not so much stats driven."
Plunkett does not lack the ability to take pace off the ball, but neither does he relish it.
"I'm trying to smash the pitch," he said.
"I've got the plan to hit the pitch hard, the odd bouncer, and if people are hitting me from there, fair enough. I don't look to change too much early.
"If people start moving around I might throw in a few slower balls or whatever but I enjoy the role of getting my groupings together and whacking the pitch."
Watch England's five-match ODI series with Windies live on Sky Sports Cricket. The opener, at Old Trafford, starts at 12pm on Tuesday, 19 September.
