66 Facts About Sam Billings

Samuel William Billings was born on 15 June 1991 and is an English professional cricketer.

Sam Billings was born at Pembury in Kent and has played for Kent County Cricket Club sides since he was eight years old, making his senior debut for the First XI in 2011.

Sam Billings served as the club's captain until the end of the 2023 season when he resigned, although he retained the captaincy of the club's Twenty20 cricket side.

Sam Billings is regarded as a versatile cricketer who studies the game intensely and has an imaginative range of scoring shots.

Sam Billings has appeared mainly in limited overs formats for the England cricket team and made his Test cricket debut in January 2022.

Sam Billings has played Twenty20 franchise cricket in the Pakistan Super League, Indian Premier League and in the Big Bash League in Australia and captained Oval Invincibles in all four seasons of The Hundred.

Sam Billings was born at Pembury in Kent and grew up on his family's farm in the north of the county.

Sam Billings developed as a good all-round sportsman, playing tennis for Kent and being offered a trial for Tottenham Hotspur Football Club after scoring a hat-trick against the team's academy side whilst playing for Corinthian under-14s.

Sam Billings's grandfather, Ron Billings, was a racquets champion and his cousin, Tom Billings, has been world champion of the sport.

Sam Billings attended New Beacon School in Sevenoaks, and then Haileybury College in Hertfordshire, appearing regularly for their cricket XI throughout his school career.

Sam Billings studied for a degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University.

Sam Billings has said that he was "nowhere near good enough" to become a professional cricketer before his time at university and credits it with encouraging him to work hard to develop his talent.

Sam Billings made his first-class debut for Loughborough MCCU against Northamptonshire in 2011.

Sam Billings made a further first-class appearance for the team in 2011, against Leicestershire.

Whilst at university Sam Billings was a member of the Kent squad, and he made his debut for the county in May 2011 in a first-class match against his university side, Loughborough MCCU.

Sam Billings made three further List A appearances in the 2011 season, as well as playing in four matches in the 2011 Friends Provident t20.

Sam Billings became the first choice wicket-keeper for Kent in the 2014 season.

Sam Billings played in the champion county match in Abu Dhabi at the beginning of the 2015 season before scoring 693 runs at an average of 29.80 in the 2015 County Championship season and making his England One Day and T20 debuts.

Sam Billings was awarded his Kent county cap in August 2015 during the annual Canterbury Cricket Week and signed a contract extension with Kent, in January 2016.

Sam Billings spent the following winter playing for England in Bangladesh, Sydney Sixers in the Big Bash League and for England again in India and the West Indies as well as playing in the PSL and IPL.

Later in the season Sam Billings signed a contract extension.

Sam Billings captained Kent Spitfires to the 2021 T20 Blast title, beating Somerset in the final by 25 runs to win the tournament and their second domestic T20 title.

Sam Billings was first called into the England Performance Programme in 2014 and took part in a training camp in Sri Lanka during the English winter.

Sam Billings had played for an ECB under-16 side in 2006 and for England age group sides at under-17 and under-18 level before touring Bangladesh with the England under-19 side in 2009.

Sam Billings made his senior England international debut in an ODI against the touring New Zealand team in June 2015, playing as a batsman and scoring three runs.

Sam Billings made his England debut as a wicketkeeper in the first T20I against Pakistan in Dubai in November 2015.

Sam Billings made his maiden international half-century in the match, reaching his fifty in 24 balls, before being run out for 53 off the last ball of the England innings.

Sam Billings took two catches and completed a stumping during the Pakistan innings as England won by 14 runs.

Sam Billings was adjudged man of the match for his performance during the match.

Sam Billings played for the Lions against Pakistan A in Dubai in January 2016, against South Africa in 2016 and was selected for the England squad for the 2016 World Twenty20 competition.

Sam Billings did not make an appearance for England during the competition, other than as a substitute fielder.

In early 2017 Sam Billings was part of the England ODI and T20 squad which toured India.

Sam Billings played in the opening List A match of the tour against India A again as a specialist batsman, scoring 93 runs, and in an ODI and T20 match on the tour before playing back to back ODI matches for the first time since his debut series against the West Indies.

Sam Billings was an unused member of the England squad for the 2017 Champions Trophy but played against Ireland, South Africa and West Indies during the summer of 2017.

Sam Billings was, again, an unused member of the England squad for the ODI series against New Zealand which followed.

In October 2019, Sam Billings was named as the vice-captain and first-choice wicket-keeper in England's T20I squad for their tour of New Zealand.

Sam Billings played in all five T20I matches on the tour, although he only scored 34 runs in his five innings and was not selected for the limited-overs side in South Africa early 2020.

Sam Billings went on to make his first senior international century in the match, scoring 118 runs, before playing in both of the other matches in the series.

In September 2021, Sam Billings was named in England's squad for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.

Sam Billings made his debut at the Bellerive Oval in Hobart scoring 29 runs in England's first innings and taking five catches in Australia's second in a debut which was described as composed.

Sam Billings took Foakes' place as the side's wicket-keeper on the fourth day of the third Test of the series at Headingley.

Sam Billings was the side's top-scorer in the second ODI of the series, showing "the necessary grit" to build an innings of 77 runs after England had lost early wickets.

Sam Billings is a regular participant in Twenty20 franchise leagues around the world.

Sam Billings has played for teams in the Pakistan Super League, Australian Big Bash and Indian Premier League and was scheduled to play in the first season of the abortive South African T20 Global League.

Sam Billings has spoken of his belief that playing T20 cricket with many of the best cricketers in the world is effectively playing international cricket and that players who do so are "going to improve, no doubt", with franchise leagues "fast forward" the growth of cricketers.

In December 2015 Sam Billings was selected by Islamabad United in the 2016 Pakistan Super League draft, the first of three overseas Twenty20 leagues he took part in during 2016.

Sam Billings played in five matches for Islamabad, scoring 34 runs with a top score of 26, but saw the opportunity to learn from players such as Australian Test wicket-keeper Brad Haddin as "invaluable".

Sam Billings was retained by Islamabad for the 2017 season, playing in the team's first five matches of the tournament before leaving to join the England ODI team in the Caribbean.

In 2018 Sam Billings was with England in New Zealand at the start of the tournament and, despite joining Islamabad towards the end of the group stage, did not play a match during the PSL season.

Sam Billings scored 54 runs on his debut for Delhi, helping the team to a victory over Kolkata Knight Riders, before going on to play in four further matches before Delhi were eliminated at the end of the group stage.

Sam Billings has credited the experience of working with players from around the world as a major factor in the improvement of his game, from the use of different training methods to eating more effectively.

Sam Billings was retained by Delhi for the 2017 Indian Premier League with the intention of him playing until 1 May in order to return to England to play against Ireland and prepare for the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy.

Sam Billings made his debut for the Sixers in the opening match of the tournament, taking two catches as the team beat Sydney Thunder by nine wickets.

Sam Billings batted four times for Sydney, averaging 31.25 runs.

Sam Billings was retained by the side for the 2022 season.

Sam Billings played in eight matches for the side, missing games due to illness, and scored 169 runs during the competition.

Sam Billings did take part in the 2023 Pakistan Super League, winning the tournament with Lahore Qalandars, his second PSL title.

Sam Billings's first senior century was a score of 131 made on his first-class debut for Loughborough MCCU against Northamptonshire at the beginning of the 2011 season.

Sam Billings scored his first first-class century for Kent in July 2015 against Essex at Tunbridge Wells, having been out for 99 earlier in the same month against Surrey.

Sam Billings has scored seven List A cricket centuries and in 2014 shared the Walter Lawrence Trophy for the quickest century in County cricket during the season, scored off 46 balls against Somerset in a 2014 Royal London One-Day Cup match.

In September 2020 Sam Billings scored his debut senior international century, making a score of 118 in a One Day International match between England and Australia at Old Trafford cricket ground.

In July 2022 Sam Billings set a new County Championship record of 12 catches in a match as his Kent side beat Warwickshire.

Sam Billings has been involved in supporting the development of cricket by charitable organisations and throughout the world.

Sam Billings has supported activities organised by the Lord's Taverners and worked with disabilities cricket teams with the charity and with NatWest's Cricket has no boundaries campaign.

Sam Billings is an ambassador for the Taverners and launched a cricket ambassador programme for them in 2016.

Sam Billings has worked with youth cricket teams and in October 2017 visited Rwanda to play in a T20 cricket match to mark the opening of the Rwanda Cricket Stadium.