Sam Billings eyeing up Lord's injury return as Kent get T20 Blast campaign underway

The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has been on the sidelines since dislocating his shoulder when diving in the field during Kent’s Royal London One-Day Cup clash in Cardiff on April 25

Kent captain Sam Billings hopes to be wearing a Spitfires Vitality T20 Blast shirt in under a fortnight after setting his sights on a return to action at ‘The Home of Cricket’ next month.

The 28-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman has been on the sidelines since dislocating his shoulder when diving in the field during Kent’s Royal London One-Day Cup clash in Cardiff on April 25.

Having made a successful comeback from surgery, the IPL star is now back in the nets and aiming to play in Spitfires’ south group clash with Middlesex at Lord’s on August 1.

“I’m working hard in the gym and hitting 200 to 300 balls a day in the nets, so I feel like the comeback is within touching distance now,” said Billings.

“I’m hoping to play my first game next weekend for Sevenoaks Vine in the Kent League and am very much looking forward to getting back out in the middle.

“So, I’m trying for August 1 but, like with any long-term injury, you have to be fluid and realistic and if I’m not quite right then I’ll have to tick over and bide my time.”

With Billings sidelined, Kent had planned for Heino Kuhn to lead the Spitfires into battle in this season’s short-form tournament, but Kuhn will miss the start under concussion protocols having been hit in the neck by Fidel Edwards during last week’s four-day draw with Hampshire.

With Joe Denly also away on a training weekend with the England Test squad, it will therefore fall to Daniel Bell-Drummond to lead the Kent side in Saturday’s south group opener against Somerset at The Spitfire Ground, St Lawrence.

^{Sam Billings suffered his shoulder injury in a Royal London One-Day Cup match against Glamorgan in April}

Though Bell-Drummond has little captaincy experience, Billings believes he will have a fine squad at his command as Spitfires look to improve on last season’s quarter-final finish.

He added: “It’s funny in a way that over the last three of four years when people looked at Kent’s T20 side it was our batting that caught the eye, but when you take Joe, Heino and myself out, that may not now be the case.

“But our absence will create opportunities for young lads like Zak Crawley, Ollie Robinson and Jordan Cox and the temperament of those guys so far has been most positive and impressive. Whatever has been chucked at them, they’ve dealt with it and I’ve no doubt that will continue.

“On top of that we’ve made three or four great signings in the bowling department, which I think has been our slightly weaker suit in recent years.

"We’ve signed Hardus Viljoen on Kolpak terms who can bowl heavy pace in the mid-sections, and Kiwi, Adam Milne, who in my view has been the best performer in the last two Blast tournaments.

“We’ve now got a left-arm option with Fred Klaassen and spin from Mohammad Nabi. People will say, well Nabi’s only an off-spinner, but he has incredible skill and nous. With his skill set he can bowl in the powerplay, in the middle or even at the death, so he and the other guys bring us plenty of options.”

Billings added: “Batting gets you into a position to win games but it’s bowling units who go a long way to winning you tournaments by getting you over the line in matches that you may not quite think you’re favourites to win.

“It will be a squad effort this year, we will give it our very best to win the Blast 2019, but it will be a squad task with different people chipping in and holding their hands up at various stages of the competition.”

Courtesy of the ECB Reporters Network.

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