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England’s Sam Billings hopes his maiden worldwide hundred shall be a springboard into event cricket after he missed out on final 12 months’s World Cup triumph by way of damage.
The 29-year-old Kent batsman made a formidable 118 in opposition to a top-class assault throughout England’s 19-run defeat by Australia within the first one-day worldwide at Old Trafford on Friday.
Yet such has been England’s white-ball energy, this was simply Billings’s 19th ODI in a five-year worldwide profession.
Even so, he could have nonetheless discovered a spot in England’s victorious World Cup squad final 12 months had he not dislocated a shoulder firstly of the season, leaving the best way open for James Vince to take the place of reserve batsman.
But with two T20 World Cups and England’s defence of their 50-over title arising between now and 2023, Billings nonetheless has ambitions to elevate main worldwide trophies.
“The injury last year was easily the toughest of my career – missing out potentially on the World Cup squad and that whole experience,” he instructed a convention name on Saturday.
“There’s three more World Cups coming up, the lads are very keen to add to that one last year and I really want to be part of it,” insisted Billings, forward of Sunday’s second ODI, the place England will look to degree a three-match collection at 1-1.
‘Next cab off the rank’
He did his trigger no hurt in opposition to an Australia assault that includes the formidable tempo trio of Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood in addition to in-form leg-spinner Adam Zampa.
England have been in dire straits at 57-Four chasing a goal of 295 when Billings got here into bat.
But he held his nerve after managing simply 11 runs from his first 32 deliveries earlier than demonstrating a fantastic approach and loads of match consciousness in an eventual 118 off 110 balls that included 14 fours and two sixes.
England completed on 275-9, however that they took the match to the final over was a credit score to Billings’s refusal to offer his wicket away early in his innings.
“I think I’ve kind of threatened to get a score of substance for quite a while and it’s just nice to kick on and get a big score,” he mentioned.
“You never know when the opportunities arise. In the past, when they have, I’ve put too much pressure on myself and for me, that was the difference yesterday.
“Instead of attempting to power the difficulty and giving freely a possibility I managed to kick on.
“You could just see the change a little bit — they (Australia) went from ‘the game’s won’ to ‘actually, right they might just have a little bit of a sniff’.”
Billings successfully performed on Friday solely as a result of star all-rounder Ben Stokes was nonetheless on compassionate depart together with his in poor health father in New Zealand and he was below no illusions, despite the fact that he nonetheless has hopes of discovering one other place within the order.
Promoted
“Ben Stokes isn’t here and I don’t think, however many runs I get, that I’ll keep that spot,” Billings mentioned.
“Form and injury – as I found out the hard way last year – can happen. As long as you are putting yourself in the right position to be the next cab off the rank, that’s all you can do,” he added.
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