Sam Billings says cricketers need to do more to protect themselves from the sun, reflecting on his own treatment for skin cancer.
England wicketkeeper Billings, 31, had two operations to remove a malignant melanoma on his chest in 2022.
He was diagnosed after attending a skin cancer screening in his county, Kent.
Billings has recovered to play a full winter of cricket, but wants to use his experience to help others in the sport.
Talk to The telegraphBillings said he changed during one of England’s white ball games against Australia in November when teammates asked about the scar on his chest.
“I think the boys were pretty shocked,” he said.
He added on social media that when he had the procedure in October 2022 it “put cricket on the back burner and into perspective”.
Billings said he felt people in Britain often had a ‘pretty blasé’ attitude about applying sunscreen, adding there wasn’t as much education about the dangers sun than in countries like Australia.
“I was that classic Brit overseas, as a lighter-haired 22-year-old in Australia, thinking it was worth going a little red to end up going brown,” he said. declared.
He also revealed he nearly missed the screening to attend a meeting but was instructed to stay by Kent’s physio.
The doctor then advised him to have a mole removed on his chest, which found a 0.6mm deep melanoma.
“Margins are so small but can have massive consequences,” Billings said.
His recovery was relatively quick, returning for England’s clean-ball series in Australia in November. However, he said he found the process “mentally difficult” and that the process made him more empathetic as a captain and as a person.
With a new sense of perspective, Billings warns cricketers to be more diligent in applying sunscreen and checking their skin.
“I’m not just talking about the professional game,” he said. “It’s the cricketers at the club, the people watching the game.
“We treat it [applying sun cream] like a chore. I would love to see everyone in cricket working together – the sun is out so let’s protect ourselves.”
