Sam Billings shows England captain Eoin Morgan he won’t wilt under pressure

Crisp: Billings steered England to victory with 67 not out
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Will Macpherson31 July 2020

“The more times we see guys in pressure situations, the more we find out about them. Today is a good example of that in the chase.” Eoin Morgan is not one to waste words, and his comments after England beat Ireland last night were as pointed as ever.

Of England’s first-choice top six, three are playing in this series, and three are playing Test matches. That presents a gilt-edged chance for fringe players to stake claims for heavy involvement in the World Cup cycle we are entering.

Much is made of the depth of England’s white-ball bating, and this is a chance to test it. That Morgan dropped himself down to No6 as the top order wobbled shows how keen he is to present opportunities.

You need not be a genius to ascertain that Morgan’s comments were designed to highlight the differences between the performances of James Vince and Sam Billings. Tom Banton is just 21, and an international rookie, so his failure will not have been a concern.

Vince and Billings, like the three men missing this series (Joe Root, Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler), are 29; that is young enough to make it to the next World Cup, but old enough to require a significant body of work sooner rather than later to be considered. Some extremely promising youngsters did not make the squad for this series, and will be biting at the incumbents’ heels in the coming years.

Vince and Billings have more than age in common. Both captain their counties, and have terrific records in domestic one-day cricket. In the past three seasons, no one has scored more runs than Vince’s 1,499 from 1,346 balls. In the past five seasons, Billings averages 51 and strikes at 120 for Kent.

They were the first batting reserves for much of the last World Cup cycle, receiving occasional opportunities but never nailing a spot. Yesterday Vince played his 12th ODI innings in four years, Billings his 13th in five. Had Billings not suffered a serious shoulder injury, they would have been competing for the World Cup spot, vacated by Alex Hales, that eventually went to Vince.

Yesterday Vince picked up where he always seems to leave off, ghosting to 25, then slashing at a ball he could have left. It was typical of his England career across formats. Vince’s dismissal brought Billings to the crease with

England staggering towards their target of 173. There was an immediate crispness and clarity to his batting as he made an unbeaten 67, the biggest of his three ODI half-centuries.

There was perhaps more at stake for Billings. He was only playing this game because, remarkably, England saw Joe Denly, a No3, as a better middle order option.

Denly suffered a back injury, and surely they will not make that error again. Billings is a jovial character, but takes his cricket deadly seriously and has spent hours over the past few months speaking to his friend Morgan about captaincy and white-ball batting.

He has carried drinks too often for England and T20 franchises rather than playing cricket week after week (although IPL experience will be handy with the World Cup in India), and has perhaps gained a reputation as a stylish strokemaker rather than a pure runscorer. There was evidence late last season, when he scored three straight Championship centuries, that he might have turned a corner in that regard after a period of reflection while injured.

Billings has seized his first chance, and will be hungry to stamp his authority on the series in Saturday's second game.

Vince has two more games to get a score, or the pressure from younger rivals will rise once more.

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