LIAM Plunkett is bowling as fast as ever as he seeks to make the most of his England opportunities at the age of 31.

Yorkshire's Plunkett was clocked at 93mph by the Bristol speed gun, before rain intervened for a no-result in the third Royal London One-Day Series match against Sri Lanka.

The first of his three wickets on Sunday took him to 50 in one-day internationals – albeit making him the slowest Englishman to achieve the milestone, after a fallow mid-career which included just two caps between 2007 and last summer.

After for his half-century of wickets, in 37 ODIs stretching back to December 2005, Plunkett is not about to shout the news from the rooftops, but is pleased nonetheless.

"It's only taken 11 years!" Plunkett said. "Obviously, it's an achievement and I'm happy with it. I'll take it."

He is content to still be in with a chance of taking more, or even adding to his Test tally of 41 in 13 matches.

Plunkett voiced his confusion last winter, after discovering at the end of the tour of United Arab Emirates against Pakistan that he was to be left out of the Test trip to South Africa.

However, he has restated his case again, including in England's run to the final of the ICC World Twenty20 in India.

"It was frustrating in the winter, involved in the Tests and not playing, and then in the one-day set-up," he said. "But the guys are winning, they're playing good cricket.

"I've played long enough now to realise you just keep grafting and then when you get your chance you've got to take it.

"I enjoy being around the squad, even though I want to play. It's not the worst place to be, even if you're 12th or 13th man."

Plunkett has featured throughout so far in an ODI series England lead 1-0 with two to play – with the next instalment tomorrow at the Oval.