Sam Billings‘ return to action for Kent lasted just a matter of minutes against Glamorgan at Cardiff, as he suffered a shoulder injury that may rule him out of England’s ODI trip to Ireland next week.
Billings, Kent’s captain, had returned to the team for his first county fixture of the season, after completing his stint with Chennai Super Kings in the IPL.
However, he appeared to dislocate his shoulder in attempting to stop a shot in Harry Podmore’s first over of the match.
In obvious pain, Billings was left prone on the outfield for several minutes, and treated with oxygen before being helped from the field.
He had not been included in England’s 15-man squad for next month’s World Cup, but was likely to play against Ireland in Dublin on May 3, and had also been named for the one-off T20I against Pakistan in Cardiff two days later.
He is one of a number of concerns for England, particularly among their batsmen, as they build towards the World Cup opener against South Africa at The Oval on May 30.
Jason Roy is once again missing for Surrey in the latest round of Royal London Cup games, after suffering a back spasm last week, while Eoin Morgan also sat out the same fixture for Middlesex after complaining of sore shins before the toss.
Kent’s other England selection, Joe Denly, was not included for the trip to Glamorgan after himself suffering a back spasm while batting against Gloucestershire last week.
Alex Hales, meanwhile, has been put on indefinite leave by Nottinghamshire for personal reasons, but is expected to link up with the squad for a pre-season training camp in Cardiff this weekend.