THERE was a time when Liam Plunkett would have been just glad to line up in the same Durham side at Riverside with colleagues Steve Harmison and Paul Collingwood - but on Saturday the young bowler continues his meteoric rise when he steps out with his established England team-mates on home territory in the international arena.

Plunkett and Harmison have spent more time in the middle for their country as they have done for their county, much to the chagrin of the Chester-le-Street cricket crowd.

And there is no doubt that if both bowlers were steaming in from the North and South Terraces, then Durham would have been able to maintain the momentum of the club's early season charge.

The Durham quickies both laboured in Plunkett's international Test debut defeat in Lahore against Pakistan, and more recently enjoyed conflicting fortunes in the One Day Internationals with Sri Lanka and Ireland.

But despite the lack of cricket shared on the county stage, the young bowling protégé says he still owes a huge debt to the inspiration provided by his mentor.

"I haven't played a lot with Steve (Harmison) although I started with him for Durham last season at Leicestershire, Worcestershire and Lancashire. He gave me a few tips, I watched him bowling and he's been a good help to my development," admitted Plunkett.

But England's first choice paceman hasn't been the only inspiration to his burgeoning development.

The Middlesbrough-born medium pacer was quick to hail the work of former opening batsman and the club's Director of Cricket Geoff Cook, as well as both former and current Durham captains.

"The set up of the academy has been good for Durham and you can see the development of it throughout the years to a point where the players are progressing to a better stage," said Plunkett, reflecting over his England call up, the five Test caps and nine ODIs he has to his name.

"My aim at the start of last season was to get 50 wickets and get picked for the academy and anything else would have been a bonus.

"But it was amazing to get the call from David Graveney to be picked for the one-day squad last year and then a week later get another to say I would be taking over from Simon Jones.

"We'd brought in a few players last season like Mike Hussey, and Dale Benkenstein has been a great help. Some of the overseas lads have been good such as Mick Lewis and the team responded well. All the younger lads have got that bit more experience as a consequence.

"Mike (Hussey) set the standard in the first game against Leicester (when he hit 260) and everyone just followed him."

It's fair to say England have hardly sparkled since the historic Ashes series triumph last year yet Plunkett insists they can repeat the feat this winter in Australia by setting up a confidence boosting ODI series win over Sri Lanka and, a Test triumph over Pakistan this summer

"If we play the way we did in the Ashes' series then there is no reason why we can't win both competitions.

"It is still an exciting time to be involved in cricket."

Liam Plunkett's England career in brief

Plunkett's 51 wickets - at 30.84 - for Durham last season was enough to earn him a surprise England call up for the autumn and winter tour of Pakistan for the one-day international and Test squads after injury ruled out Simon Jones.

l He made his Test debut in the third Test of that series in Lahore, and although England were crushed by an innings and 100 runs the Middlesbrough-born quickie managed to take 2-125.

l From there Plunkett made steady rather than spectacular progress, but made a big impression after coming on as a Super Sub in his first ODI seven days later after Kevin Pietersen went off with a back injury. He recorded England's best bowling figures, 3-51, as well as playing a part in running out former Durham team-mate Shoaib Akhtar. England went on to win the match by 42 runs.

l Two days later, Plunkett revealed he was more than handy with the bat too. He came to the crease with the score at 130 for 8 in the second ODI, and added 100 in a ninth-wicket stand with Vikram Solanki, before Akhtar gained revenge for his earlier dismissal with a caught and bowled, Plunkett having made 56.

l The selectors saw enough to include the Durham bowler for the tour to India at the beginning of the year and he played in the second Test at Mohali, replacing Ian Blackwell.

l The tour may not have been as successful as he would have wished - taking only one wicket and scoring just one run over two innings - but injuries to Harmison, James Anderson and Jones meant he started the first test of the Sri Lankan this summer.

l Plunkett recorded his best figures last month, when he took three wickets before lunch against in the second test against Sri Lanka at Edgbaston. This included a double wicket maiden in his first over of the day, dismissing Michael Vandort and Mahela Jayawardene.

* In this series so far, he has taken 1-32 and 0-58.