Billings shoulder injury leaves England place in doubt

LONDON: Sam Billings’ return to action for Kent lasted just a matter of minutes, as he suffered a dislocated shoulder that may rule him out of England’s ODI trip to Ireland next week.

Billings, Kent’s captain, had returned to the team for his first county fixture of the season, against Glamorgan at Cardiff in the Royal London Cup.

However, he suffered a dislocated left shoulder in attempting to stop a shot in Harry Podmore’s first over of the match.

In obvious pain, Billings was left prone on the outfield for several minutes, and treated with oxygen before being helped from the field.

Kent later confirmed that he had been taken to hospital, where the shoulder was relocated, and returned to Sophia Gardens afterwards. He is scheduled to see a specialist on Friday (today), where he will undergo scans.

Billings had not been included in England’s 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup, but was likely to play against Ireland in Dublin next Friday, and had also been named for the one-off T20I against Pakistan in Cardiff two days later. He is one of a number of concerns for England, particularly among their batsmen, as they build towards the World Cup opener on May 30.