We said our goodbyes to Sam Billings when he left Sydney Thunder after our Big Bash game on the Gold Coast. But I thought Billings was heading to the Caribbean via London, rather than taking a detour to Hobart for the fifth Test.
I am delighted for Sam. This, should he make his Test debut on Friday, is a fantastic opportunity for him and he has headed to Tasmania, via a 10-hour drive to Sydney, full of confidence because he has been going very well for the Thunder and was our leading runscorer.
Billings has been one of the major players in our team and, on top of batting and keeping, he has had a mentoring role towards the younger players at our club. He is a smart guy and a good player, and there’s no reason why he can’t be a success in Test cricket.
Sam Billings can be a Test success after earning a surprise call up ahead of the Hobart Test
The 30-year-old made a 10-hour drive from Brisbane to Sydney after receiving a shock call up
It was clear when I was England coach we had another talent on our hands in Billings, but he was all too often on the fringes and couldn’t get a solid run in the team.
That wasn’t through a lack of trying to include him but at the time, as is still the case, competition for places was fierce and Billings was up against Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow for that white-ball keeper-batsman place. In a different era, he’d have played more.
Sam always made it clear, too, that he wanted to play Test cricket and never gave up on those ambitions. I know it’s a different game, but his Twenty20 success with us over the last few weeks can only stand him in good stead — scoring runs is a habit.
Billings would have joined up with an England side in a better frame of mind after that fourth Test draw, and it was good to see them fight so hard in Sydney. The most important thing is they showed they can compete with Australia.
Billings was the highest runscorer for the Sydney Thunder during this year's Big Bash League
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