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Kent captain Rob Key believes wicketkeeper-batsman Sam Billings has the characteristics to be an instant success for England.
The 23-year-old thrust his name in front of the national selectors last summer after a stunning Royal London One-Day Cup campaign when he averaged a startling 114.50.
Billings was the competition’s fourth-highest run-scorer, but most significantly caught the eye with his unorthodox strokeplay as his 458 runs came at a strike-rate of 154.20 – easily the highest in the tournament.
He is now preparing for a potential England debut against Ireland at Malahide on Friday and his county skipper Key – who represented England in 15 Tests – is in no doubt the international stage is where Billings belongs.
“He’s got everything you need to be a successful international cricketer,” Key told ecb.co.uk.
“He’s got that hunger and belief in himself which is probably the most important thing along with talent.
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“I think that he’s someone that you want to fast-track into international cricket as soon as you can. You don’t want someone like that being lost in county cricket, trying to find their way, going through the ups and the downs which every player goes through.
“Someone like Sam Billings could almost learn to do that in international cricket I think because he’s got the mental make-up and the ability and talent to succeed at that level you just want to get him in there as quickly as you can and let him find his feet.”
Key thinks that Billings’ outgoing character will also serve him well on the highest stage – even if he admits the blond gloveman can be a bit of a “pain”.
“He’s a good lad. He’s good fun, he’s an extroverted character and in English cricket at times there is not enough of those,” he said.
“He generally gets the balance right of how to not over-step the mark. He’s very, very competitive when you see him play football in warm-ups, he’s a pain but I think that’s good. That’s what you need.
“You want these characters that aren’t afraid to compete and he doesn’t shy away from that at any stage.”
