England\'s six-hitting hero Liam Plunkett says the dramatic last-ball draw he secured with Sri Lanka proves how his side can bat all the way down to number 11.
The Yorkshire pace bowler thumped a huge straight maximum off the final ball of a thrilling Royal London One Day International to send Trent Bridge delirious.
England had been staring down the barrel at 30-4 and 82-6 in pursuit of Sri Lanka's 286-9 before 93 from Jos Buttler and an unbeaten 95 from Chris Woakes set Plunkett up for his last ball heroics.
"It was nice to get that one out," he, somewhat understatedld told Nick Knight from Sky Sports at the end of a enthralling day-night clash in Nottingham.
"They bowled well at the death and obviously Woakesy and Jos put us in a great position after a few early wickets. We bat all the way down - me and (Adil Rashid) are 10 and 11 - so we’re backing ourselves to take it as deep as possible. I just feel if you’re in at the end you give yourself the best chance to clear the ropes and lucky enough it was the last ball.
"It shows the depth we’ve got. It’s good for the team isn’t it? You know you can carry on all the way through an innings. If you struggle up top then hopefully the end can get a big score and if not you can carry on from ball one."
Plunkett and Woakes somehow scampered three off the penultimate ball to set up the chance of a tie and the 31-year-old added: "That was the only chance of a draw at the end, so scramble that three then hopefully he just misses and you get the middle of the bat on it and it goes for six."
Man of the match Woakes, who also took 2-56 with the ball, added: "It's been a good game. We were in a bit of a hole and tried to build a partnership with Jos who batted brilliantly. It's great to tie it after being in a tricky position.
"When you need 10 off two you’ve got to start clearing the ropes. I felt like I was plinking round a bit towards the end. For Liam to hit the ball like that was incredible and credit to him."
Watch highlights of the incredible tie here:
The England v Sri Lanka ODI Series concludes with its fitfh game at The SSE SWALEC, Cardiff. Secure your seats by clicking here.