England batsman Sam Billings looking to cement his place in middle-order
Sam Billings admitted that given the current strength of the England national team it would be a tough task for him to make his own mark.
England’s wicket-keeper batter Sam Billings has made himself unavialble for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 to focus on the “longer format of cricket,” the wicket-keeper batter announced on Monday.
In IPL 2022, he has played for Kolkata Knight Riders, as KKR bought him earlier this year in the mega-auction. Billings managed to score just 169 runs in eight games throughout the 2022 edition, with a pitiful average of 24.14.
The batsman took to social media to announce his decision and said that he had to make a tough call and will now focus on “longer format cricket.”
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“Have taken the tough decision that I won’t be taking part in the next IPL @KKRiders.”
Looking to focus on longer format cricket at the start of the English summer with @kentcricket,” Sam Billings said in a tweet.
In the tweet thread, the KKR batter also thanked the franchise for the opportunity.
Thank you so much for the opportunity @kkriders ! Loved every minute of it. An amazing franchise with some brilliant people.
Hopefully see you again in the future pic.twitter.com/hxVVXfRqEE
— Sam Billings (@sambillings) November 14, 2022
“Thank you so much for the opportunity @kkriders! Loved every minute of it. An amazing franchise with some brilliant people. Hopefully see you again in the future,” he added.
Sam Billings is a well-known name in the global T20 leagues. Although KKR paid him INR 2 CR for his services because of his stardom, the English player wasn’t efficient with the bat.
Billings has participated in 30 IPL games, scoring 503 runs at an average of 19.35, with a high of 56.
In the Indian Premier League, the right-handed batter has represented the Delhi Capitals, Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, and Delhi Daredevils. Billings has just started to improve under Ben Stokes and head coach Brendon McCullum.
(inputs from IANS)
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