Reece Topley gives England a selection headache for Afghanistan and beyond
DHARAMSHALA — Reece Topley says he wants to play all seven group games at the 2023 Cricket World Cup – and England would be wise to listen.
The left-arm seamer’s stunning introduction to the tournament with a new-ball burst ensured Jos Buttler’s men chalked up a victory against Bangladesh on Tuesday after their heavy opening defeat by New Zealand.
Dawid Malan may have taken the headlines with his innings of 140, but it is Topley’s performance that may prove the more significant in the long run when it comes to England’s hopes of defending their title in India.
Given the profligacy of Chris Woakes with the new ball so far, Topley’s display has seen England stumble upon what looks like their best pair of opening bowlers – the Surrey man and Sam Curran, another left-armer who calls The Oval home.
Curran was excellent against New Zealand, opening up with two maidens and a wicket before the game slipped away from England.
He lost the new ball to Topley in Dharamshala but after Woakes again opened up with an expensive spell, Curran should regain it again alongside his county teammate for Sunday’s match against Afghanistan in Delhi. Yet there is no guarantee that England, sometimes slow on the uptake when it comes to making changes, will not look a gift horse in the mouth.
The team’s key strength is their batting but getting the new ball to talk will be perhaps the most important factor in determining whether Buttler’s team qualify for the semi-finals.
So, Topley’s pledge that he is fit and raring to go for the seven remaining games is a positive sign that England cannot ignore.
“Absolutely,” he said. “It’s 70 overs max. In our changing room, we’ve all played county cricket, which can be quite a torrid time. You have to play a lot more regularly than this over seven weeks, so I think everyone in our team can handle it pretty well.”
Topley is relishing his first 50-over World Cup after missing the Twenty20 win in Australia last winter when he injured his ankle in a freak accident before the tournament had even begun and a back injury ruled him out of contention for England’s ODI World Cup win on home soil four years ago.
“When I came out here I certainly felt like there was unfinished business with World Cups,” he said.
“Last year it was certainly an opportunity missed. I was bowling really well in the lead up and to have the rug pulled from under my feet at the last minute was very disappointing.
“I’ve been wrapped up in cotton wool this time and it’s nice to be here. Hopefully it’s more contributions because I don’t feel like I’ve scratched the surface with World Cups and the IPL really.”
A serious shoulder injury on his Indian Premier League debut for Royal Challengers Bangalore in April put his participation in this tournament in doubt. Topley’s only taste of a major tournament was two games in the 2016 T20 World Cup in India and he is glad to be back in the country doing what he loves most.
“It’s nice to be here fully fit and with nothing hanging over me,” he said. “In 2016, I was able to play but I had a shoulder issue. And then obviously 2019 I was out the side because I had back surgery so it’s nice to have all of that behind me.”
Next up for England are Afghanistan, the second-lowest ranked team in the tournament who should not prove too much of a hurdle. Yet Topley is taking nothing for granted.
“It’s not straightforward against a team from the sub-continent,” he said. “It won’t be a walk in the park in those conditions.”
It looks unlikely Ben Stokes will be back from the hip injury that ruled him out of the first two games in time for the weekend. England flew from Dharamshala to Delhi on Wednesday and will assess how Stokes reacts to that journey but it is likely they will hold their talisman back until their crunch encounter with South Africa in Mumbai on Saturday week.
If Woakes is stripped of the new ball on a Delhi pitch that proved to be a batter’s paradise in the first two games played there, Moeen Ali will be recalled after he was dropped for the Bangladesh match. England are also likely to rest Mark Wood, wicketless in the first game against New Zealand, and bring in Gus Atkinson for his World Cup debut.
