Vice-captain Billings keen to re-establish England T20 case

Sam Billings hopes he can pick up where he left off when he returns to England duty in New Zealand.
The Kent wicket-keeper has been named as a vice-captain for the T20 leg of the tour, which begins with a warm-up against against a New Zealand XI on Sunday.
A dislocated shoulder stopped him building on the 87 he made against the West Indies in his last England innings in March, but he has headed to New Zealand with renewed optimism.
“It’s great to get some recognition and it’s a huge honour,” Billings said. “It’s a great opportunity to be recognised as a developing leader. And there’s an element of personal development about it, too.
“I’ve been on the fringes for the last four or five years. I’ve made some performances along the way, but we have such depth in our squad in terms of batsmen and keepers.
“The last innings I played was that 87 in the West Indies. But then I got injured and missed a lot of the year. So even though that innings in the West Indies was a long time ago, it’s about continuing that momentum in an England shirt. For me, it’s about enjoying it and it’s good to be back playing.
“The injury has given me some perspective. I just have to make the most out of every opportunity. For me, as a player, my focus is on being in that T20 World Cup squad.”
Latest
-
News
Snow hits Glamorgan hopes as Rory Burns and Ben Foakes shine for Surrey
Burns made 74 and England team-mate Foakes an unbeaten 81 for Surrey against Gloucestershire at Bristol.
-
News
ICC Player of the Month nominations for March announced
Winners of the player of the month awards will be announced every second Monday of the month on the ICC’s digital channels.
-
News
Billy Root overshadows brother Joe as England captain suffers against Glamorgan
The visitors closed the second day with the upper hand at Headingley.
-
News
Sadiq Khan hoping to attract future IPL matches to London
London has staged NFL, MLB and NBA matches in London in the past and the London Mayor hopes IPL matches can also be staged in the capital.
-
News
Dan Lawrence shows early touch as Essex start strongly in Championship
There were big hundreds for Sam Robson, Tom Haines and James Vince.
-
News
Sachin Tendulkar thanks medical staff after returning home from hospital
Tendulkar was admitted to hospital last week after revealing he had tested positive for Covid-19 and had been in quarantine at home.
-
News
New Zealand name squad for their Test tour of England
New Zealand have named a 20-player squad for their tour of England, with three uncapped prospects in the group.
-
News
Jamie Porter hoping for England call after picking James Anderson’s brain
Porter was close to his England debut against India three years ago but has fallen down the pecking order.
-
News
ICC Rankings: Fakhar Zaman on the charge in ODIs
Fakhar Zaman has scored back-to-back ODI centuries in South Africa and is in red-hot form.
-
News
ICC pressing ahead with plans for T20 World Cup in India despite Covid-19 spike
Acting chief executive Geoff Allardice says the ICC is “not anywhere near” activating any contingency plans.