After a treble in The Hundred, Billings’s leadership shines brighter than ever, but it all feels like a story England never fully wrote.
When Sam Billings lifted the Oval Invincibles’ third successive The Hundred Men’s title at Lord’s this summer, he wasn’t just celebrating another trophy. He was stamping his place among the most successful T20 leaders of his era. Three in a row in The Hundred, an ILT20 crown with Dubai Capitals, a T20 Blast title with Kent…that’s five major white-ball titles as captain in the space of four years. Only MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma have more in all T20s as skipper. Not bad for a man England never quite trusted to do the same in national colours.
This is where the irony bites. Billings has proved himself time and again in franchise cricket, but his England career, a total of 28 ODIs and 37 T20Is over seven years, feels like a match that never really clicked. A marriage that looked promising on paper but never made it down the aisle.
When Eoin Morgan retired in 2022, the England white-ball captaincy passed seamlessly to Jos Buttler. It was the obvious call: Buttler was in peak form, a global superstar, another wicketkeeper with far more runs behind him. Billings, meanwhile, was hovering on the fringes. His ODI numbers between 2020 and 2022 were respectable at first glance — 13 games at an average of 47.88, strike rate 91 — but most of that came in 2020. In the seven ODIs he played after, the numbers slipped to 23 at 80, despite a decent series against Australia. Timing is everything, and his wasn’t ideal.
So while England looked to Buttler and began rebalancing their middle order, Billings drifted.
In hindsight, a defining moment of his England career came in early 2023. England toured Bangladesh, a perfect tune-up for the 2023 World Cup in India, the kind of assignment tailor-made for Billings: a solid keeper, strong against spin, an experienced white-ball pro. Instead, he opted to honour his Pakistan Super League contract with Lahore Qalandars.
His explanation was raw and relatable: “I’ve run the drinks for eight years. I just want to play cricket consistently and not sit on the bench.” For a 31-year-old without a central contract, it was hard to argue. England had empathy too. But the cost of doing so was clear: he never played for England again.
From 2023 onwards, England’s middle-order spots were fiercely contested. Liam Livingstone, Moeen Ali, and Sam Curran offered all-round skills and firepower. Jacob Bethell and Jamie Smith were backed as young prodigies with high ceilings. Joe Root returned to ODIs this year after the 2023 World Cup as a bankable anchor.
All of it made sense. But it left little room for Billings. And while England stumbled in ODIs, they never circled back to the man averaging nearly 50 between 2019–22, who might have provided exactly the spin-battling stability they lacked.
Billings, meanwhile, flourished outside the England bubble. He built a reputation as a leader who improves every team he joins.
By 2025, his five white-ball titles put him in elite company. He was thriving, content, and even joked that having spent years carrying drinks, he was “actually a 28-year-old.”
Then came the twist, or was it even one? When Buttler’s resignation came in February 2025 after three poor ICC campaigns, it reopened the captaincy question. Billings’s name resurfaced, at least for some hipsters thinking outside the box. Billings even said he’d “jump at the opportunity,” before clarifying: “I only get called when they’re desperate!”
He knew Brook was the future and Stokes the talisman who had prematurely retired, but his success record meant he couldn’t be ignored entirely. In truth, you can’t fault England for their choices. Nor can you blame Billings for chasing regular cricket and security. It was simply a mismatch of timing and priorities…a marriage that looked good but never worked out.
England lost out on a versatile keeper, fine player of spin, and proven leader during a rocky ODI stretch. Billings lost out on the chance to test himself at the sharp end of ICC tournaments. Both walked away with reasons to feel slightly unfulfilled.
Now 34, Billings is out of England’s white-ball plans and will certainly not make a comeback. Harry Brook has the age and the upside and has slipped into captaincy seamlessly. They’ve already identified Bethell as next in line, with him captaining the side on the Ireland tour after the series against the Proteas.
ALSO READ:
Billings’s story remains a reminder that international cricket just does not happen for many. He lost out to a bunch of players who hit the right place at the right time. Sometimes, even when the fit looks right, the timing just isn’t.
Sam Billings may not fit into the category one of those domestic stalwarts who missed out in internationals, but after that treble in The Hundred, he’ll always be remembered as the one that got away.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
