Sam Billings looks to cement place in England’s limited-overs’ set up

Sam Billings looks to cement place in England's limited-overs' set up

Sam Billings, who has played five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and two T20 Internationals (T20I) for England, will be looking to cement his place in the the limited-overs set up of Eoin Morgan’s team in the upcoming tour of United Arab Emirates (UAE). The 24-year old wicketkeeper-batsman from Kent, is being selected in the 15-men England squad for the ODI and T20I series against Pakistan. In an interview with Kent Online, talking about his selection, Billings said, “It was good to be part of the squad, although it was a disappointing end to the series at Old Trafford.” It seems selection was like a pleasant surprise for him. READ: England announce squads for tour of UAE vs Pakistan

“I was happy with how I went in the New Zealand series and not to get an opportunity this time [against Australia] was a bit of a shame. But you can see the thinking behind it, in terms of needing the sixth bowler without Joe Root there. It was totally understandable. It’s nice to be in the mix for the UAE and hopefully I’ll get an opportunity there,” Billings further added. READ: Morgan, Taylor and Root should form middle-order for England vs Pakistan

The right-hander scored 90 runs in four ODIs against New Zealand in June, earlier this year, including 41 from 30 balls at Durham. He feels, in UAE, there is massive improvement needed in his performance, “You have to keep working hard, keep your head down and when you get the opportunity, be ready to grasp it. A massive positive of being consistently around the environment is you do learn things, not only from the opposition and about yourself but also from your team-mates. Just having two weeks in that dressing room, you learn a lot. Even when you’re not playing, you’re still practicing with and against the best, so you still feel your game is constantly improving.”

England will play four ODIs, three T20Is and three Tests against Pakistan in UAE. The series will start with the Test series.