LIAM PLUNKETT has been there, seen it and done it all – now Chris Tremlett believes he could be the man to steer Surrey to one-day glory.

County champions they may be but Surrey’s relationship with limited-overs cricket has far from run smoothly, without a t20 title since the inaugural competition in 2003.

Switch to 50 overs and the disappointment is all the more tangible, three final defeats in three successive seasons a bitter pill to swallow.

With the likes of Tom and Sam Curran, Jason Roy and Ben Foakes all plying their trade at the Oval, failure is not an option when it comes to red- or white-ball cricket.

And with England international Plunkett electing to switch from Yorkshire to the capital, former Surrey quick Tremlett believes they may just have found the missing piece of their puzzle.

“They’ve been to a lot of one-day finals, Finals Days and the like, but they haven’t won things where they probably should have done with such a good team,” said the former international, on the latest leg of the ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour.

“They’ve gone and added Liam Plunkett to that side and they’ve got a big squad of players, Surrey have that strength in depth and they’re probably the team to beat.

“With the two Currans there as well, they’re such a strong side and the three are there with England as well.

“There are a lot of youngsters at Surrey who are performing really well, but you can’t beat experience.
“When I was there I tried to give that red-ball experience to the likes of Tom Curran, who was coming through the ranks, and Liam will be there to do that.

“He’ll help them pick up the little things, Liam’s been around for a long time and is a model example of a professional cricketer. He keeps fit, works hard and is doing really well to still be playing for England at his age.

“He’s been in and out of the side over the years, but he’s shown himself to bounce back – he’s shown the youngsters that nothing can really stop you from fighting your way in there.”

While the signing of Plunkett is undoubtedly a coup, his success at the highest-level comes with a price – notably a lack of action with his county.

But with options aplenty flooding into England’s bowling armoury for this summer’s World Cup, perhaps Plunkett’s place is not as nailed on as it once was.

England’s tried-and-tested combinations featuring Plunkett, Ben Stokes, David Willey and Chris Woakes have long formed the backbone of their pace attack since the World Cup four years ago.

Yet with Tom Curran, Mark Wood and Jofra Archer the latest hot prospects in the one-day mind, England now face a welcome problem ahead of the summer showcase.

“As a whole squad, they’ve got all bases covered – they’ve got destructive players at the top of the order, top all-rounders, leg-spin, off-spin – you’ve got David Willey for the left-arm option, Liam Plunkett for some height. A bit of everything,” Tremlett added.

“England have been working on this for the past four years, getting a squad which they’re comfortable with and have been performing well consistently.

“Some guys have got injured along the way but they’ve stuck with the core group of players – England have worked towards this.

“England are pretty set in how they want to go, guys have got roles in the team which they’re used to – but when you’ve got exciting options, like Jofra, around, we might see some changes to that.”

ICC Cricket World Cup Trophy Tour, driven by Nissan, commences 100-day tour of England and Wales and will be at over 100 locations and events before arriving back in London ready for the opening match on May 30