Sam Billings says New Zealand legend Brendon McCullum and Australia skipper Pat Cummins were among those ‘taking the mickey’ after he was linked with the England Test captaincy.
Kent wicketkeeper Billings emerged as a shock candidate for the England job after Joe Root stepped down from the role in April.
The 30-year-old only made his Test debut in January during the fifth Ashes Test in Australia, but has been a regular in Eoin Morgan’s white-ball team and is respected not only as a dynamic player but as an astute captain and franchise star.
Billings was playing for Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders when Root resigned and says his IPL colleagues quickly caught on to the fact he was being linked with the job.
‘It was funny because at the time I think I was the second favourite for the job. I had Baz [former Kolkata head coach Brendon McCullum], Pat Cummins and Tim Southee all literally just taking the mickey out of me the whole time,’ Billings told Metro.co.uk.
‘Pat would go, “heads or tails mate?” when he saw me. There were lots of jokes going around. But look, it was all hearsay. There just wasn’t that many options around. At the end of the day the right decision was made.’
The decision Billings is referring to is Ben Stokes’ appointment as Root’s replacement. While Stokes was virtually the only viable candidate, the early signs have been promising, with the all-rounder leading England to a brilliant five-wicket victory over New Zealand in his first Test as captain.
‘It was always going to be Stokesy and that was absolutely the right decision,’ Billings added. ‘I’ve known him since the age of 13 and he always leads from the front and sets the example in terms of his work ethic.
‘There’s no doubt that he is the right man to take England forward. His journey over the last few years is a great example; everyone goes through difficult times but to come out the other side is a great thing to do.
‘From my point of view, I just want to continue to grow as a player and a captain [for Kent and Oval Invincibles].’
Having played under McCullum at the IPL, Billings is well placed to discuss his qualities as a coach.
McCullum – one of New Zealand’s greatest ever players – signed a four-year deal to take over England’s Test side in May and enjoyed a winning start to his reign at Lord’s last week.
‘Above all he’s a great human being,’ Billings said. ‘He’s done everything you can do in the game and that’s a pretty good mix to have when you’re in a job like that.
‘I’m not surprised at the impact he’s had already. He will be a phenomenal addition to English cricket and there’s no doubt he’s the right man to take the team forward.’
Billings’ Kent team-mate Zak Crawley endured another frustrating outing in the series opener against New Zealand, making 43 in the first innings and nine in the second.
Crawley looked set to make a significant contribution on day one before nicking behind, a familiar story in his career to date.
The 24-year-old averages less than 30 after 22 Tests, having registered a stunning double century against Pakistan in 2020, a hundred in the Caribbean earlier in the year and a series of low scores in-between.
Asked if he believes Crawley will cement his place at the top of the order, Billings said: ‘Anyone who scores a double hundred in international cricket, talent is not the issue.
‘He’s world-class. He’s got the mind-set and the drive to crack it at the top level. Everyone is judged on results, that’s pretty obvious, but as a young player he’s learning all the time.
‘We saw Joe Root average 90-odd in his first year in Test cricket and then have a slight dip. But he came back soon after that and now he’s one of the best players we’ve ever had.
‘I know Zak really well and he will be absolutely fine. I’m one of his biggest fans and I’ve got no doubt he will be absolutely fine.’
Billings has been featuring for T20 Blast champions Kent since returning from India and will captain Oval Invincibles in the second edition of The Hundred later in the summer.
Tom Moody’s Invincibles finished fourth last summer, narrowly missing out on the play-offs as Southern Brave became the first men’s champions.
Billings said: ‘It was disappointing not to qualify last summer with the quality we’ve got. We should have been in the play-offs but a huge amount of learning took place.
‘We’ve got a really good squad and Sam Curran being fit is great news for us, he’s a world-class all-rounder in both facets of the game. The core of the side has stayed the same which is encouraging.
‘There’s no doubt about the quality we possess so there’s absolutely no reason why we can’t go one better and get into those knockout games.
‘It’s a great tournament and the key thing is the pace, it doesn’t go on for too long and every game has a huge amount of significance. We’ve got some of the best players in the world playing in a tournament held during the best part of the summer. What’s not to like?’
Given the nature of The Hundred, it would not be a surprise to see tactical batting retirements become a frequent part of the tournament.
India’s Ravichandran Ashwin became the first player in Indian Premier League history to be retired out after he walked off during a game for Rajasthan Royals in April, while two players voluntarily walked off during a T20 Blast game last week.
Billings disagrees with the principle of tactical retirements but admits as a captain he will more than likely indulge in cricket’s latest white-ball trend.
‘The game is definitely moving forward and match-ups present a huge part of the game from a tactical element,’ he said. ‘I see it coming into the game far more and I see the benefit, of course I do.
‘Whether I agree with it, I’m yet to make my mind up. It doesn’t sit that well with me, if I’m being totally honest. It’s just one part of the game where the bowler is actually on top of you and earns the right to be on top.
‘I’m not sure you can have that easy an option to just walk off. That’s my opinion. The whole point of the game is to try and get yourself out of difficult situations. It’s a bit of a cop-out, let’s be honest, passing on the responsibility to someone else. I just don’t like it.’
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