Sam Billings Hungry For England Test Debut, Blames Himself For 'White-Ball Typecasting'
Published - 04 Jun 2020, 06:06 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:29 AM
England wicket-keeper batsman Sam Billings has blamed himself for ‘white-ball typecasting’ which has not allowed his to make a Test debut since playing his first international match in 2015. Sam Billings has been named as a part of the 55-member training squad for the upcoming series’ against the West Indies, Pakistan and Australia.
Billings is keen to make a breakthrough in the longest format after making 15 ODIs and 26 T20Is appearances. He, however, has not been a regular feature in the white-ball cricket as well and scored at an average of nearly 20 in both the formats.
Sam Billings: There is no one to blame really for white-ball typecasting
Sam Billings made choices in his initial part of his career that will help to grow his game. He featured in the IPLs, which brought him to the fore as a limited-overs cricketer. Now, Billings has said that, there is no-one to blame for the type casting.
“There’s no one else to blame apart from me really for that [white-ball typecasting],” Billings told ESPNcricinfo.
“I played four IPLs and you’re not going to turn down an opportunity like that as a young player in terms of a chance to develop – especially as there was no financial gain in the first two years. For me, I saw it purely as an opportunity as I went for base price to Delhi [INR 30 lakh in 2016].
“Obviously four-day cricket had to take a back seat at that point in time and I just didn’t play anywhere near enough cricket. That’s where my mindset has changed a little bit.
“The back end of last year proved to myself more than anyone that I can be more than just an average first-class cricketer or quite a good first-class cricketer. That can be as strong a format as any. But it was only when I really proved it to myself last year that that came back to the forefront of my mind,” he added.
Billings has also said that he is keen on making his Test debut against the West Indies in the upcoming series.
