Sam Billings
Richard Edwards speaks to Sam Billings as the wicketkeeper jets off to India for this year’s IPL
The wicketkeeper/batsman is all set for this year’s IPL
“You have to be there to appreciate just how crazy it is – you see videos posted of Virat Kohli being mobbed by thousands when he walks out of the hospital after an appointment,” says Sam Billings, shortly before he begins packing for his second adventure in the Indian Premier League.
“I can’t say I know how he feels. I just get the odd person talking to me at a bar in Canterbury after they’ve had a few too many.”
Billings will be part of a Delhi Daredevils side that includes the likes of Quinton de Kock, Pat Cummins and Karun Nair, who scored a triple century against England in Chennai back in December. It’s an all-star list. It’s also a measure of how far Billings has come in the past 12 months that he will expect to play a full role in the Daredevils’ assault on IPL glory in the coming weeks.
When The Cricket Paper catches up with Billings, he admits he’s yet to pack but he has lived the itinerant T20 life for long enough to know just how to fill his suitcase.
“As long as I’ve got my Xbox everything’s fine,” he says. “You’re away for quite a while so having a few home comforts is great. I do, though, realise just how lucky I am to get to travel the world and get paid to do it so it would be stupid to just spend my time sitting in hotel rooms. I like to do as much travelling as time allows because you don’t know how long this is going to last – you have to make the most of it.”
No-one could accuse of Billings of failing to do that.
Spells in the Big Bash with the Sydney Sixers and a stint with Islamabad United in the PSL mean that Billings is now one of a growing band of English cricketers who enjoy an offseason that is completely unrecognisable from those of old.
Billings is a man in demand too, hardly surprising given his extraordinary strike rate of 154 for England in the shortest format. He scored 88 runs in five innings for the Daredevils last time out, including a maiden IPL fifty in just 34 balls against the Kolkata Knight Riders in May 2016.
He’ll hope for more of the same this season and will be part of a side that contains more than a few familiar faces, including his former team-mate in Sydney Grade Cricket, Pat Cummins.
“I played with him for Penrith a few years ago and we hit it off,” says Billings. “He’s a great bloke and it’s so good to see him back, fit and doing the business for Australia. He’s seriously quick and I think a lot of people feared we weren’t ever going to see the best of him. He will obviously be handled carefully but if he can stay fit then he can be a massive star this season.
“It’s a double-edged sword for England, though, with the Ashes coming up in the winter!”
Billings is unlikely to be part of the England Test squad for a series that is already bubbling up nicely but he should find himself a regular member of Eoin Morgan’s ODI squad in 2017, starting with the Champions Trophy.
The 25-year-old was promoted to the top of the order in the recent tour of the Caribbean and didn’t disappoint, scoring 52 off 56 balls against the hosts in Antigua. He followed that up with a
Billings is now one of a growing band of English cricketers who enjoy an off-season that is completely unrecognisable from those of old
golden duck in the second match and was ultimately forced to watch on as Alex Hales resumed his place at the top of the order alongside Jason Roy. To rub salt into the wounds, Hales scored a blistering 110 at over a run a ball as England demolished the home side
“It was disappointing to be left out but that’s just a fact of life,” he says. “I’m playing in probably one of the best England one-day sides in history and the competition for places is absolutely massive.
“When I got that 50 I should have gone on and got a big one, that’s how you tie down a place in the side. It was hugely frustrating to give it away after getting to fifty but it’s all a learning experience.
“We’ve obviously got a lot of white ball cricket coming up and I want to be involved as much as I can. Playing in this England team is great fun, the atmosphere in the squad is amazing. I just want to be a big part of that.”
A decent IPL will go a long way to ensuring that Billings is just that.