Billings honoured by VC role

Sam Billings says it is a “huge honour” after he was named England’s T20 vice-captain for the New Zealand tour. It has been a frustrating year for Billings. The 28-year-old made a fast start when scoring 87 in a T20 against West Indies in March – his highest score in international cricket – and he looked to be on the road to big things. However, the Kent-born star dislocated his shoulder soon after and that ended his chances of making the World Cup squad, a huge disappointment bearing in mind England won the tournament after beating New Zealand in a Super Over. Having missed five months of cricket, Billings is now fully fit and he has been given a huge boost by being named vice-captain to Eoin Morgan for the T20 tour of New Zealand. Billings, who was selected over the more experienced Jonny Bairstow, says he feels privileged to be handed the position and he is looking forward to the tour. “It’s great to get some recognition and it’s a huge honour,” he said from Christchurch. “It’s a great opportunity to be recognised as a developing leader. And there’s an element of personal development about it, too. “I captained the England Lions last winter and my county for the last two years. Eoin gave me a call a couple of weeks ago and said he’d love me to do it. I suppose he must see something in me. I’m looking forward to learning from him and implanting what I’ve done at Kent.”