Sam Billings pushing repercussions from mind in fight for his England place

Sam Billings opened the batting for England as they defeated a UWI Vice-Chancellors XI on Saturday. Billings was dismissed for 14 due to a superb catch by Khary Pierre.

There is a sense that the Kent batsman can barely afford to slip up even once, with the record-breaking Alex Hales due to fly out to join England’s tour of the West Indies before the first of three one-day internationals as long as today’s scan on his hand injury is favourable.

Billings therefore simply has to keep making runs alongside incumbent Jason Roy.

The 25-year-old is not about to start fretting about his position, however, reasoning it is simply an occupational hazard.

“That’s professional sport,” said Billings. “You can’t feel sorry for yourself.”

He has taken the majority of his opportunities in just 17 limited-overs international appearances since his ODI debut in June 2015.

The snag is, of course, that Billings’s brief is not merely to achieve the consistency that might make him a regular but to take the attack to the opposition.

He made his ODI career-best when he was shunted up to open in the series-sealing victory over Bangladesh in Chittagong last October – his first 50-over cap since the end of his maiden series at home New Zealand 16 months earlier.

When fit, Hales and Roy are inked in meaning Billings is afforded precious little continuity, cast as understudy in a position he has rarely filled for his county.

Is it difficult then to play as England need him to when there must be a temptation at times to limit the risk-taking just a little?

Yes, and no, says Billings, because in his case, attack is always the preferred option anyway.

He added: “When I play at my best, I’m just expressing myself ... so (it’s) trying to keep as clear a mind as possible and just go out and whack it, really.

“You can’t afford to think about the repercussions. If you’re thinking about that, you’re not concentrating on the ball coming down at you.”

He factors in the inevitability of occasional failure, as in England’s opening warm-up victory over a UWI Vice-Chancellor’s XI on Saturday when he figured in an opening stand of 42 with Roy, but had to go for only 14 himself when Khary Pierre pulled off an outstanding catch diving to his left at point.

Billings said: “You’re going to have good days and bad days. We all know that.

“It’s not just getting a 90-odd, like I did in the warm-up game in India. If you get 110-115 not out, you really make a statement.

“It’s about pushing on and turning those 60s or 90s into really big scores.”

The complication is that he is being asked to produce his best in a role he is still learning – until Hales returns, at least, having broken his hand in the second of three matches against India last month.

Billings added: “Opening the batting is a different experience for me as well, so it’s about trying to adapt to that and get a score on the board.

“Obviously for Kent, I’ve batted at four, five, six – and that’s where I’ve done well.

“But I’m trying to offer as much as I can to the side ... I’ve just got to score runs wherever I bat.”

His experience at the top of the order is expanding, in England’s Twenty20 series against India following Hales’s injury and since then too with some success for Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.

He said: “I’ve been in good form throughout the different globe-trotting events I’ve been to, so I’m happy with my game and I’m just trying to continue that.

“My List A record is as good as anyone’s, really.

“I started well in India, and I’ll try to do the same here.”

His next chance will come today when England take on the WICB President’s XI in the second of their tour fixtures at Warner Park where the hosts will be without Test seamer Kemar Roach, who is unavailable for personal reasons.

Billings, meanwhile, is wary of piling any extra pressure on himself, saying: “Any tour is big.

“Getting an opportunity on the Bangladesh tour was big for me. The India tour was big.

“Whatever tour, you just try and take the opportunity wherever you bat – be prepared for anything really, and go out and try to enjoy it.”

Jason Roy (79) was one of four batsmen to post a half-century in England’s 379-8 in which captain Eoin Morgan top-scored with 95 before their inexperienced hosts were bowled out for 262 in 39.5 overs.

Ben Stokes had an especially eventful first match here, battling hard for his 61 to add to the efforts of Morgan and Joe Root (71) and then conceding 23 runs in his opening over to big-hitting Shimron Hetmyer.

Roy, though, had helped to put England out of sight, despite a fine century in the home reply from his opposite number Chadwick Walton (121).