Ben Foakes is set to make his England white-ball debut in Dublin next week, after being called up for the one-off Ireland ODI as a replacement for Sam Billings, who suffered a dislocated left shoulder while fielding for Kent against Glamorgan on Thursday, reports ESPN.
Foakes, whose 71 from 80 balls for Surrey against Middlesex on Thursday was his third half-century in consecutive Royal London Cup games, is also set to keep wicket in the T20I against Pakistan in Cardiff on May 5, in the absence of England's first-choice keepers, Jos Buttler and Jonny Bairstow, who are being rested after their stints in the IPL.
His inclusion comes after a cruelly timed injury for Billings, one that has ruled him out for much of the season and ended his own chances of playing a part in England's World Cup campaign.
Although Billings had not been named in England's provisional 15-man squad for the World Cup, which gets underway in just over a month's time, he had seemingly put himself at the head of the queue of batting reserves, should anything befall the men ahead of him in the pecking order between now and the climax of the tournament on July 14.
Instead, having played just once for Chennai Super Kings in this year's IPL (and scored a duck in that solitary outing), Billings' start to the English season lasted just a matter of minutes.
Fielding at mid-off in Harry Podmore's opening over in Cardiff, he dived to intercept a drive from Glamorgan's Australia allrounder, Marnus Labuschagne, and landed awkwardly on his left shoulder.
In obvious pain, Billings was left prone on the outfield for several minutes, and treated with oxygen before being helped from the field.
He was taken to hospital, where the shoulder was relocated, and underwent scans after seeing a specialist on Friday. Billings was under no illusions about the extent of his injury when he returned to Sophia Gardens after the incident.
"Without a doubt, it's the most painful thing I've experienced," he told BBC Radio Kent. "An hour and 20 minutes with your shoulder not back in its right place isn't a great time for anyone."
Opportunity knocks, however, for Foakes, who was Man of the Series on his maiden Test tour of Sri Lanka last year after being called up - again as an injury replacement - after Bairstow turned his ankle playing football.
Billings' injury 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.
