Is Sam Billings England's answer to AB de Villiers?

Sam Billings has the potential to lead England to ODI glory

South African great AB de Villiers is known to have dabbled in several sports in his youth, before choosing cricket as his profession. Captaining the South African junior rugby team, playing junior level tennis, excelling in badminton, football and hockey, and his national level junior swimming record for 100 metres, apart from a scratch handicap at golf, are some of his well-publicised achievements.

Over the last few weeks, it seems like England have found their own version of de Villiers in the form of 24-year-old Sam Billings, who recently made his international debut in the ODI series against New Zealand. He is not only an extremely talented and versatile wicketkeeper-batsman but has also chosen a career in cricket despite excelling in various other sports.

The man of many talents

Billings played rugby for Haileybury school as a half-back till he was 16, when an accident on-field saw him quit the sport. Prior to that incident, he had also played Tennis at county level and continues to enjoy playing tennis and squash. The latter seems to have had an effect on his batting, which saw him score with the highest average of 114 in the Royal London Cup at a stunning strike rate of 154.

He clearly shares some genes with his cousin, Tom Billings, who currently ranks No.4 in the World Squash Rankings. Another striking feature was his talent in football, and a potential career for England which he rejected.

The 24-year-old used to play youth football for Corinthian FC and scored a hat-trick against the Tottenham academy, following which he was called for a trial at Tottenham. The Kent lad refused the offer, as he was on tour in Barbados with the South of England Under-14s, highlighting that cricket was his only true calling in the world of professional sports.

The early days

Billings attended the Haileybury College in Hertfordshire and played top-level cricket for his academy. He was a regular in their First XI throughout his school career. While pursuing a degree in Sport and Exercise Science at Loughborough University, he made his first-class debut for Loughborough MCCU against Northamptonshire in 2011. In his two first-class matches with Loughborough MCCU, he has scored 203 runs at an impressive average of 50.75, and a high score of 131, which came on debut.

He impressed scouts, and fans alike on his debut in first-class cricket, on April 2, 2011. The match, which ended in a tame draw, saw him make 20 and 131 in a patient manner to surprise the incisive Northamptonshire bowling attack. His century caught the eyes of many, and he was much talked about ever since.

Also a member of the Kent side, he made his debut for the county in a first-class match against his former team, Loughborough MCCU. In the 2011 season, he also made his List A debut for Kent against the Netherlands in the 2011 Clydesdale Bank 40, replacing regular wicket-keeper Geraint Jones.

In 2013, Billings was still less preferred to Geraint Jones, but was picked ahead of Jones in the Kent's 2013 Friends Life T20 campaign, and at the end of the season, was called up to keep wickets in the County Championship.

Bursting into recognition

His immense talent finally found the spotlight, when he was picked in England's 30-man squad for the 2015 World Cup after Craig Kieswetter pulled out of the tournament, citing eye problems.

Billings’s potential to tear through even solid bowling attacks became evident the day he struck 135 from a mere 58 balls against Somerset in a 50-over match at Canterbury. Marcus Trescothick, Somerset's former England captain, recognised the youngster as a strong contender for England’s wicketkeeper slot, and also said: "Billings absolutely annihilated us.".

The Kent youth’s brilliance was highlighted again in 2012, courtesy a powerful innings of 143 from 113 balls against Derbyshire at Canterbury - the highest one-day total by a Kent batsman at the St Lawrence Ground. He had also scored a century, for Loughborough MCCU, on his first-class debut, against Northants in 2011.

As he was the highest run-getter for his county in T20s as well as the CB40 in 2012, he went on an ECB scholarship to Australia in 2012-13. His dominant batting in the T20 format and his skilful showing behind the stumps gave an appealing extra dimension to his game.

Sam can also keep wickets

The numbers game

The 24-year-old has 1370 runs to his name in first-class cricket at a decent average of 29.78. He has scored 1109 runs in is 39 List-A matches, with a much better average of 39.60 and an impressive strike rate of 116.00.

His T20 game possibly needs some work. Having played 44 matches, Billings has made 754 runs at a less-than-impressive average of 19.33. The rising star from Kent made his ODI debut against for England against New Zealand as a batsman in June 2015.

His made only three runs in his first match, and scored 12, 34 and a breezy 41 in his next three games. Although it is far too early to comment on his international performances, he surely looks like a player to watch out for in the future as he idolises AB de Villiers.

Prospects for England

Since the fallout with Kevin Pietersen, England have lacked the kind of batsman who can truly intimidate bowlers. Despite having some exceptional stroke makers and power hitters in the team such as Eoin Morgan, Alex Hales and Jos Buttler, England need their own version of AB or even a Chris Gayle in their side.

This youngster has shown promise in that respect, with his amazing ability to see the ball all the way onto the bat and smash it all over the park. He has also shown great versatility in his batting, scoring patiently when required.

The English side has high standards in fielding, and Sam Billings’s work with the gloves has received widespread acclaim.

Despite earning impressive reviews for his glovework at Kent, he was overlooked for the keeper's job when Jos Buttler missed the series decider between England and New Zealand in Durham. Instead, Yorkshire's Jonny Bairstow was called up.

In spite of that, he is a talent who is surely going to keep the likes of Buttler and Bairstow on their feet and could possibly make a huge impact in the years to come.