Sam Billings has been appointed the vice-captain of England for the Twenty20 International series in New Zealand. England and New Zealand will play five T20Is which starts from November 1. Eoin Morgan led side although has Jonny Bairstow in the side, Billings has been named ‘as a developing leader’.
“It’s great to get some recognition and it’s a huge honour,” Sam Billings told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s a great opportunity to be recognised as a developing leader. And there’s an element of personal development about it, too.”
“I captained the England Lions last winter and my county for the last two years. Eoin gave me a call a couple of weeks ago and said he’d love me to do it. I suppose he must see something in me. I’m looking forward to learning form him and implanting what I’ve done at Kent,” he added.
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“But I’m in the side as a batsman first and foremost and then as a keeper. You have to be able to perform at that top level consistently in those roles firstly. The captaincy is an added bonus and one I really enjoy. It makes you take responsibility for yourself and other guys,” he told.
Sam Billings didn’t have a great season this year. He scored a career-best 87 against West Indies before his shoulder injury ruled him out of England’s World Cup squad. However, Billings said he wants to continue the momentum in the upcoming series.
“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,” he said.
“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,” he concluded.
