It was an Ashes series to forget for England and their players as they were embarrassed 4-0 down under by the mighty Australian side. But one player from England who will carry happy memories from the tour is Sam Billings. Initially, not in the squad, the wicketkeeper batter was drafted into the team after Jos Butler and Jonny Bairstow's injury. After making his Test debut in Hobart Test, Billings feels his dream has come true after playing in the Ashes.
"Just want to acknowledge the incredible amount of messages and support I've received over the last few days. Thank you to everyone,” the 30-year-old tweeted.
“Truly fulfilled a childhood dream to play a Test match for England in the Ashes," the wicketkeeper batter further added in his tweet.
Billings’ 29-run knock was the third-highest for England in the first innings. Only captain Joe Root (34) and Chris Woakes (36) managed to score more. During the innings, he also imitated Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith's on-field antics. In the second innings, he was unimpressive and contributed to the batting collapse with a single-digit score.
Billings' experience playing in Australia had a big part to play in him getting into the Ashes team. Before playing for Sydney Thunders in the Big Bash League (BBL), he also played in local clubs of Sydney, where he shared the dressing room with current Australia skipper Par Cummins.
The England batting lineup was no match to Australia's pace attack as the trio of Cummins, Scott Boland and Cameron Green managed to scalp three wickets each in the second innings. After getting dominating for first three Tests, England did manage a draw in Sydney on the final day to avoid the embarrassment of whitewash.
The 30-year-old batter had to wait patiently for his turn to be in the side. Before the injuries to Butler and Bairstow, the right-handed batter was playing in the ongoing BBL 2021-22 for Thunders. The 30-year-old's Ashes dream did have a harsh side as England suffered a massive collapse on Day 3 of the Hobart Test after a solid opening partnership. England lost by 146 runs in the pink-ball Test to lose the series comprehensively.
