Olly Stone is happy to be the heir apparent to Liam Plunkett if it means selection in England’s World Cup squad later this year.
Stone has been a rare shining light in England’s five successive ODI defeats, taking seven wickets in four matches, while in South Africa he has excelled when brought on to bowl after the powerplay.
His style – pacey, into the pitch and giving South Africa batters the hurry-up – has drawn comparisons with Plunkett, who specialised in taking wickets in the middle overs between 2015 and 2019.
England have tried a few options after moving on from Plunkett following his instrumental displays in the 2019 World Cup success and it seems Stone is being primed for the role for the defence of their title in India in the autumn.
“Every series, you’re obviously aiming for, the World Cup is a big one that we’re all pushing towards and hopefully some performances get that call.”
“I’ve obviously struggled with injuries in the past, hopefully I can tag that on at the end of my career and do something similar to what Jimmy’s done – he’s obviously a freak,” Stone said.
Stone could make his third international appearance in the space of six days on Wednesday, where England will be bidding to avoid a series clean sweep by South Africa.
