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Sport

Sam Billings: Kent captain sets 'four week' target in injury update

By: Cameron Hogwood

Published: 07:00, 04 June 2019

Updated: 07:24, 04 June 2019

Sam Billings is eyeing a reunion with the bat in one month as he continues his recovery from a dislocated shoulder.

The Kent skipper was ruled out for up to five months at the end of April after being forced off through injury within minutes of the Spitfires' Royal London One-Day Cup clash with Glamorgan.

It marked a cruel end to his first appearance since returning from the Indian Premier League as well as his hopes of featuring for England in their ODI against Ireland and Vitality IT20 match versus Pakistan.

Sam Billings. Picture Ady Kerry

"It's slow progress, it's a month after the operation," Billings told BBC 5 Live Sport. "The operation went well thankfully.

"It (his arm) is starting to get above 90 degrees so I'm hopefully picking up a bat in about four weeks, so fingers crossed.

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"If I'm honest, it was a weird feeling. I've had a really good break, a forced break obviously, away from cricket.

"Being on the road for the last four or five years by my own accord playing different competitions and touring, to actually have a break away from the game has been really healthy both physically and mentally."

Billings has been restricted to a role as spectator in Kent's first Division 1 campaign in eight years, but remains admirably upbeat and keen to take the best from a tough spell in his career.

He has been doing media duties linked into England's opening two World Cup games and added: "There's a huge positive coming out of this situation. I'm not going to lie, when the boys were warming up the other day and I was sat there watching it was a bit gutting, of course.

"But it is part of top level sport unfortunately and there is a lot more cricket for me to play and hopefully in an English shirt moving forward.

"There's a Twenty20 World Cup next year which I've set my sights on and that's what I've got to focus on.

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"Simply put, there are a lot more people worse off around the world and I know it's a very deep thing to say but I will get better, it's three or four months out from playing a game I love of course, but it's not the end of the world. I will be back.

"I could be in James Taylor's shoes for example where he had to give up the game we all love overnight basically.

"Injuries are part and parcel of what happens in sport and it's just a shame it's happened now. I will definitely improve both as a cricketer and as a person from this experience, I have no doubt about that.

"I think you learn far more about yourself in times of strife or negative situations, it's about turning them and making them positive ones."

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