Alex Hales blow gives England’s Sam Billings chance to shine on West Indies tour

Sam Billings has been handed a golden chance to ink his name into England’s Champions Trophy team after Alex Hales’ broken hand ruled the opener out of next month’s trip to the West Indies. The Twenty20 series in India may have only just begun, England winning the first of three matches handsomely in Kanpur on Thursday, but thoughts are already turning to the Caribbean and preparations for the global tournament on home soil in June.