Sam Billings: England wicketkeeper issues warning over skin cancer after requiring treatment

Sam Billings opted out of the Indian Premier League to focus on playing red-ball cricket for Kent

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 received the diagnosis after he attended a skin cancer screening at his county, Kent.

Billings recovered to play a full winter of cricket, but wants to use his experience to help others in the sport.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Billings said he was changing during one of England's white-ball games against Australia in November when his team-mates 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 that in Britain people often had an attitude that was "pretty blasé" about applying sun cream, adding a belief that there is not as much education on the dangers of the sun compared with countries like Australia.

"I've been that classic Brit abroad, as a 22-year-old with fairer hair in Australia thinking that it was worth going a bit red to end up brown," he said.

He also revealed that he almost missed the screening to attend a meeting, but was instructed to stay by the Kent physio.

The doctor then advised him to have a mole on his chest removed, which found a melanoma that was 0.6mm deep.

"The margins are so small but can have massive consequences," Billings said.

His recovery was relatively quick, returning for England's white-ball series in Australia by November. However, he said he found the process "mentally challenging" and the process has made him more empathetic as a captain and as a person.

With a new sense of perspective, Billings is warning cricketers to be more diligent with applying sun cream and checking their skin.

"I'm not just talking about the pro game," he said. "It's club cricketers, people who watch the game.

"We treat it [applying sun cream] like a chore. I'd like to see everyone in cricket working together: the sun is out, so let's protect ourselves."