WI vs ENG: I Was Disappointed To Be Dropped For West Indies Test Series - Sam Billings

England wicketkeeper-batter Sam Billings admitted that he was disappointed after being dropped from England’s Test squad for the West Indies tour. Billings made his Test debut for England during the Hobart Test of the Ashes 2021-22 series.

Billings had a decent start in his red-ball career with scores of 29 & 1 on his Test debut where England had already endured a poor performance Down Under and were thrashed 4-0 by Australia. Billings was part of Eoin Morgan’s T20I squad for five T20Is in the Caribbean but was ignored for the Test squad as England intended to revive their Test cricket supremacy.

I’m pretty at ease with where I’m at in terms of my game: Sam Billings

England named Surrey player Ben Foakes as the first-choice wicketkeeper in the recently concluded Test series against West Indies, which England lost 1-0. Billings is determined to get more opportunities in the oldest format of the game and revealed his conversation with ECB’s interim manager Andrew Strauss on his future in Test cricket.

“I was disappointed, I’ll be honest, any time you don’t make an England squad you’re always disappointed and there would probably be an issue if you weren’t. But I understand and I had a really good conversation with Andrew Strauss and the clarity around the wicketkeeping position.

“I respect his honesty and as players all you want is clarity,” Billings was quoted as saying by the Independent. 

“I’m pretty at ease with where I’m at in terms of my game, I know that if I’m regularly scoring runs and keeping well as I did in Hobart there’s no reason I can’t compete for that position.

“I’ve got a taste of Test cricket now and it’s something I really want to pursue. At the moment that avenue is in the hands, quite literally, of Ben Foakes so all I can do is put pressure on when I can.

“I proved my method, gameplan and process works in Test match cricket. I’ve got the technique and mentality that I know can be successful in Test cricket,” he added.

Leadership experience does of course help: Sam Billings

Billings led Kent to title triumph in the Vitality Blast under his leadership and the 30-year-old feels his captaincy experience will help him push his case in the England national team.

“Leadership experience does of course help and needing senior players to step up in that environment, as the white-ball side have shown, that’s another element I can offer to the environment,” Billings said. 

Billings is currently part of Shreyas Iyer’s Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2022 in India, the England wicketkeeper-batter could miss the start of Kent’s title defence in Vitality Blast in May.

Also Read: IPL 2022: IPL Is The Biggest Domestic Tournament In The World – Sam Billings