Sam Billings and Ollie Pope are set to miss most of the domestic season after dislocating their shoulders in separate incidents, adding to England's injury worries ahead of a busy white-ball schedule. Billings was hurt in Kent’s Royal London One-Day Cup match against Glamorgan on Thursday and has been replaced in the England squad by Surrey wicketkeeper Ben Foakes. Pope dislocated his shoulder while fielding for Surrey in Tuesday’s One-Day Cup win over Essex.
Paul Downton, Kent’s director of cricket, said scans revealed significant damage to Billings’ shoulder requiring surgical intervention. The surgery is scheduled for next week, with an expected recovery time of three to five months. Surrey confirmed Pope has also been advised to undergo surgery, with a return hoped for towards the end of the current domestic season.
Foakes, who impressed with 71 off 80 balls for Surrey against Middlesex on Thursday, has been called up after outstanding recent form in the One-Day Cup. He was named Man of the Series in his maiden Test tour of Sri Lanka last year after Jonny Bairstow was injured. Billings had been aiming to press his claims as a batting reserve for England’s World Cup squad, but his first Kent appearance of the season was cut short in the opening over.
The duo join a growing list of England injury concerns that includes Eoin Morgan (sore shins), Jason Roy and Joe Denly (both back spasms). In the Royal London One-Day Cup, James Vince sent a hint to the England selectors by smashing a career-best 190 off 154 balls for Hampshire against Gloucestershire, including 15 fours and five sixes. He shared a fifth-wicket stand of 186 with Liam Dawson (73) as Hampshire posted 331 for eight.
Elsewhere, Billy Godleman scored his third successive century in the competition as Derbyshire tied with Yorkshire at Headingley after a revised target. Nottinghamshire defeated Leicestershire by 87 runs (D/L method) after passing 400, with Ben Duckett top-scoring on 86. Durham won by seven wickets at Warwickshire, thanks to Alex Lees’ unbeaten 78, while Hamish Rutherford’s 126 helped Worcestershire beat Northamptonshire by 20 runs.
