A 66-run defeat in the first ODI against India was a tough pill to swallow for England who started the chase very well and were 135 for no loss at one point. Another blow to the team was the injury sustained by batsman Sam Billings while trying to save a boundary.
In the 33rd over of the Indian innings, Shikhar Dhawan pulled the last delivery of the over of Mark Wood towards deep square leg. The ball looked certain to be heading for a boundary when Sam Billings tried his best to save some runs for his team by diving full stretch but unfortunately hurt himself in the process.
He lay there for a while, grimacing in pain before he was attended to by the team physio. It was diagnosed as a ‘Sprained Collar Bone Joint’. The good thing was that Billings was able to come out to bat for England, scoring 18 before getting out to the very impressive Prasidh Krishna.
If that wasn’t bad enough, England captain Eoin Morgan split the webbing between his right thumb and index finger while fielding and had to get four stitches as a result. However, the injury did not prevent Morgan from coming out to bat either.
England will have to wait and watch now as the players have a 48-hour window to recover before the next ODI.
We’re going to wait for 48 hours and see how it is, give as much time as needed to hopefully be available for Friday,
Morgan said at the post-match interaction.
I haven’t spoken with Sam about his batting so I don’t know in his instance. In mine, it’s never going to be at 100 per cent but it’s not that I can’t hold a bat,
he added.
Billings and Morgan are crucial players for England, and if they cannot play, it would be a major hole for the team to fill. Billings, in particular, has scored 315 runs in the last one year in the ODI format, making him England’s highest run-scorer during the period.
