Billings, whose previous Test cap had come in Hobart at the end of the Ashes tour in January, was once again called up at short notice, after Foakes missed the whole of the third day’s play at Headingley with a stiff back, before being substituted out of the game following his positive test.
Under the ICC’s protocols for Covid substitutions, Billings would have been permitted to bat if required in England’s second innings, and has now officially earned his second Test cap, even though his main contribution was a bizarre caught-behind off Neil Wagner that he managed to wedge between his knees.
It will be touch and go whether Billings will be required to make his third Test appearance against India on Friday, however. Having gone into isolation following his diagnosis on Sunday, Foakes is due to link back up with the squad on Birmingham, one day out from the Test.
However, with the short turnaround to the India Test, and given that England’s management of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum are keen to reinforce a positive mindset within their players, Crawley has been backed to come good, having already made a century in the Caribbean earlier this year.
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