Billings "after mutual discussions around his form" is not playing in the CC game against Surrey starting tomorrow. The two overseas quicks, Arshdeep and Agar are in the side with Qadri coming in for Linde
I assume that not putting a wicket keeper symbol next to Cox is just an oversight!
It is. Cox getting the gloves in the last CC match was a significant event in itself as Kent really can't afford him to leave too due to a lack of opportunity at the end of the season. Billings, in giving the job up, effectively signaled that he had given up hope of ever getting into the England Test side which was his reason for taking the gloves off Robinson last season.
Cricket is played as much in the head as with eyes and hands, Billings took an amazing catch in the Somerset game, one an out of form or just not top level keeper would not get near but he did, on instinct. Problem is facing a bowler thoughts are rattling about in your head, are they going short? Are they going slow? Is this going full? Whats that fielder doing? Is his run up shorter? And then you have half a second to make up your mind what to do with a rock hard missile making its way to you. Or if they are a weirdo spinner, trying to pretend to know you can judge how the ball is moving and where you and your feet need to be until invariably and predictably trying to smack that tempting slow ball out the ground coming halfway down the track and "oh shit, I've top edged it". And if you are doubting yourself that all goes to cock as indecision is lethal in sport especially at the top level. Billings I bet looks amazing in the nets and I bet he trains as hard as anyone but given his form and for his own head I think he needs a rest and to focus on his decision making with the bat
Cricket is played as much in the head as with eyes and hands, Billings took an amazing catch in the Somerset game, one an out of form or just not top level keeper would not get near but he did, on instinct. Problem is facing a bowler thoughts are rattling about in your head, are they going short? Are they going slow? Is this going full? Whats that fielder doing? Is his run up shorter? And then you have half a second to make up your mind what to do with a rock hard missile making its way to you. Or if they are a weirdo spinner, trying to pretend to know you can judge how the ball is moving and where you and your feet need to be until invariably and predictably trying to smack that tempting slow ball out the ground coming halfway down the track and "oh shit, I've top edged it". And if you are doubting yourself that all goes to cock as indecision is lethal in sport especially at the top level. Billings I bet looks amazing in the nets and I bet he trains as hard as anyone but given his form and for his own head I think he needs a rest and to focus on his decision making with the bat
You are totally right about the decision making. He's been playing the right shot to the wrong ball. The real issue though is that, actually, he hasn't done the business with the bat for Kent in years. His form for us has been camouflaged by his keeping but also by the fact that he has been selected by England and at the IPL with the vast majority of that time just to carry the drinks. These are his averages for the last four seasons for Kent:
2020: CC 20.00, Blast 28.66 2021: CC 29.80, Blast 23.20 2022: CC 23.83, Blast 25.30 2023: CC 9.19, Blast 12.00
EvenBillings' lifetime averages in the CC (31.27) and T20 (23.56) aren't impressive but where he has excelled is in the 50 over game (41.30). The irony of that, of course, he doesn't play in that competition because of his commitment to The Hundred. We won the then named Royal Insurance Cup last year without him, a competition in which his replacement, Robinson, scored 534 runs at an average of 59.33. I'm sure that the fear of Cox leaving too at the end of the season is the reason that he took the gloves in the last CC match. Cox wants to be in the melting pot for Test selection in the same way as Robinson did and for Kent to make the same mistake twice would be unforgivable.
Let's hope time away will do Billings some good. He had the opportunity three weeks ago to play for the 2s in a 4 day game when the first team didn't have a match but didn't take it. Unfortunately, the 2s have a couple of T20 games against a weak Jersey side this week but no longer form of the game matches. Which actually makes me wonder whether he wouldn't have done better to have taken himself out of The Blast a couple of matches ago (and allowed Blake to come in) and then played in this CC game against Surrey as 4 day cricket does allow you to build an innings. Perhaps, though, his mind is so scrambled at the moment that he does need a total break from it all.
A couple of bizarre dismissals too. Muyeye played a "warm up" slip catching shot and Denly watched a ball, that pitched no more than a foot outside his off stump, all the way to hitting the stump in question.
Comments
Wishful thinking as we won't win six of our final seven games which we will almost certainly need to do.
Hopefully this win will give the lads a huge lift for the remainder of the competition.
On to Lords & hospitality next Friday !
2020: CC 20.00, Blast 28.66
2021: CC 29.80, Blast 23.20
2022: CC 23.83, Blast 25.30
2023: CC 9.19, Blast 12.00
Even Billings' lifetime averages in the CC (31.27) and T20 (23.56) aren't impressive but where he has excelled is in the 50 over game (41.30). The irony of that, of course, he doesn't play in that competition because of his commitment to The Hundred. We won the then named Royal Insurance Cup last year without him, a competition in which his replacement, Robinson, scored 534 runs at an average of 59.33. I'm sure that the fear of Cox leaving too at the end of the season is the reason that he took the gloves in the last CC match. Cox wants to be in the melting pot for Test selection in the same way as Robinson did and for Kent to make the same mistake twice would be unforgivable.
Let's hope time away will do Billings some good. He had the opportunity three weeks ago to play for the 2s in a 4 day game when the first team didn't have a match but didn't take it. Unfortunately, the 2s have a couple of T20 games against a weak Jersey side this week but no longer form of the game matches. Which actually makes me wonder whether he wouldn't have done better to have taken himself out of The Blast a couple of matches ago (and allowed Blake to come in) and then played in this CC game against Surrey as 4 day cricket does allow you to build an innings. Perhaps, though, his mind is so scrambled at the moment that he does need a total break from it all.
Compton, Muyeye and DBD all out. Some things don't change.
Denly gone now
Leaning out guiding a ball going down the leg side into Foakes' gloves