The England Cricket Board (ECB) had confirmed on Friday that wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings had been added to the side for the final Ashes 2021-22 Test against Australia in Hobart as a replacement for injured Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow.
ENG vs WI
Yorkshire hitter Harry Brook has been called up to England’s T20I squad for the upcoming five-match series against the West Indies in Barbados, as a replacement for Sam Billings. The England Cricket Board (ECB) had confirmed on Friday that wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings had been added to the side for the final Ashes 2021-22 Test against Australia in Hobart as a replacement for injured Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow.
Due to his Test call-up, Billings will miss at least the first T20I, but he will be part of a 17-man team for the series. For the first several games of the series, England’s wicketkeeping options are Tom Banton and Phil Salt.
The 22-year old Yorkshire lad was named the Cricket Writers’ Club and the PCA’s Young Player of the Year for 2021 after scoring 1,286 runs across all forms last summer, including 486 runs at 69.42 in the Vitality Blast and further 189 runs in five Hundred innings for Northern Superchargers. With 797 runs at 37.95, including two centuries, he was Yorkshire’s second-highest run-scorer in the Championship. His playing T20 experience also includes Australia’s Big Bash League (BBL), playing for Hobart Hurricanes
ENG vs WI fixtures
England will depart for Barbados on Saturday, January 15, for the first T20I, which is set to take place on January 23 at Kensington Oval Bridgetown, Barbados. It will be followed by the second match the next day while the third game will take place on January 27. The final two games of the T20I series will happen on January 30 and 31, respectively.
In other news, England pace-bowling all-rounder Tom Curran has been ruled out of cricket until at least the end of June after sustaining a stress fracture in his lower back, according to a statement released by Surrey County Cricket Club on Tuesday.
Curran developed back pain while playing for the Sydney Sixers against the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League on December 15, 2021, and returned home, where he received more scans in London, which showed the depth of his injuries.