For a person with an damage historical past so long as his 6ft 7in body, Reece Topley cuts a relaxed determine as he soaks up the Cardiff solar and appears forward to a World Cup that he is aware of may outline him.
Final 12 months in India, he broke a finger 4 video games into England’s ill-fated 50-over title defence. Six months earlier, he had dislocated a shoulder on the IPL. In late 2022, he missed England’s T20 World Cup triumph in Australia after treading on the boundary foam in follow and injuring his ankle.
He has had too many stress fractures of the again to say, and in 2016 a bouncer from Boyd Rankin broke his hand on debut for Hampshire. Again in 2009, when Topley was 15, he wanted stitches after being hit on the top within the nets by a straight-drive from Kevin Pietersen.
You’d suppose he’d had sufficient by now. And he very almost did. The mishap in Brisbane earlier than the final T20 World Cup left him with what he known as ‘PTSD about getting on the airplane once more’. Just a few years earlier, after extra again surgical procedure, he was advised his profession is likely to be over.
Mentally, he had checked out of cricket. Now, he’s set to steer England’s assault within the Caribbean with Jofra Archer and Mark Wooden as they search to defend the title they received in Australia with out him. It’s laborious to think about a participant extra deserving of a little bit of luck.
Reece Topley says the ache from quite a few accidents focuses his thoughts on the crease
Final 12 months in India, he broke a finger 4 video games into England’s ill-fated 50-over title defence
Topley receives remedy from the England crew physio throughout a 2023 World Cup match
However Topley is previous feeling sorry for himself. At 30, he’s within the prime of his fast-bowling life, and — it’s simple to neglect — nonetheless possesses England’s greatest one-day figures: six for twenty-four towards India at Lord’s in 2022. That day, he mixed all his property — peak, tempo, bounce, left-arm swing, accuracy — to bundle out a star-studded crew for 146.
He desires extra of that now, ideally at a World Cup. And he believes his misfortune with accidents places him in the best frame of mind to succeed.
‘It undoubtedly offers me further motivation,’ he tells Mail Sport. ‘The weirdest factor is I don’t really feel any strain any extra, as a result of I’ve really downed all my instruments as soon as earlier than and nearly walked away from cricket.
‘I’m right here as a result of I need to be, and at peace with the truth that no matter occurs, occurs. It’s a bizarre house to be in, however one thing I profit from. I attempt to use that horrible 12 months or two I had with accidents as a superpower.
‘There’s much more to life than what occurs on the sector. Clearly you need to win video games and world occasions, however failure and messing up are all a part of it. I don’t actually worry that any extra.’
Topley exhibits off one among his extra seen battle scars, sustained throughout England’s World Cup mauling by South Africa within the humidity of Mumbai final October, when he dived for the ball in his follow-through and broke his left index finger in three locations.
The highest joint is bent at nearly 45 levels in the direction of the center finger — a reminder, maybe, to not get too far forward of himself.
Topley has suffered a horrific damage ordeal that noticed him nearly stop cricket altogether
Remarkably, with the assistance of anaesthetic and strapping, he carried on bowling that day, even taking the wickets of Aiden Markram and David Miller in successive overs. Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen, nonetheless, twigged that Topley’s lack of sensation within the fingers meant refined modifications of tempo weren’t attainable, and his final two overs disappeared for 45.
Not that he was fazed. ‘Even once I was getting hit round, I used to be considering, “Simply take it in, I’m going residence tomorrow”,’ he says. ‘I used to be on the primary flight to California and chilled out for 5 weeks.’
However Topley is previous feeling sorry for himself. At 30, he’s within the prime of his fast-bowling life
The comment appears to be like extra flippant on the web page than it sounded in individual. Topley’s level is that he has issues in perspective now — which doesn’t reduce his desperation to win a World Cup.
‘ICC occasions and Ashes sequence are the place you etch your self in historical past,’ he says. ‘Individuals nonetheless speak concerning the England facet that went to the T20 World Cup within the Caribbean and received in 2010. You miss a chance to develop into a part of cricketing folklore. That’s the gutting half. However as quickly as an damage occurs, inside two or three hours I’m over it, considering, “What’s wanted to get again on the sector?”’
Topley, who took three for 41 in England’s T20 warm-up win over Pakistan on Saturday and may very well be concerned in at the moment’s sequence finale at The Oval, has a c.v. of a white-ball specialist: he has performed for eight franchise sides in six nations, whereas his most up-to-date red-ball outing was in April 2022, for Surrey.
His first-class report is spectacular: 163 wickets at 26. And he’s satisfied he would ‘swing all of it day’ if he was given the prospect at Check stage — a tempting thought now that the Broad-Anderson period is all however over.
However Topley’s perception {that a} Check profession is past him sums up cricket’s path of journey. ‘I do know I’d contribute in a great way,’ he says. ‘I’ve bought a physique of labor in my stats, however I don’t suppose that’s sufficient to get chosen. I’m not going to not go to the IPL, which clashes with championship cricket. On the finish of the 12 months, when there’s championship cricket once more, we’ve a white-ball sequence towards Australia. I’d like to play red-ball, however the place do you match it in?
Now the 6ft 7in bowler is looking forward to a World Cup that he is aware of may outline him
‘I don’t suppose that bridge will ever be crossed between myself and Ben (Stokes). I’ve bought sufficient confidence and expertise to know that if I used to be thrown the ball in a Check, I’d contribute in a optimistic approach.’
For now, he’s centered on making an attempt to emerge intact from white-ball matches through which batsmen have taken six-hitting to a brand new stage.
‘You’ve bought Jasprit Bumrah and Trent Boult, and I can’t bear in mind too many different quick bowlers who did nicely at that IPL,’ he says. ‘You develop into extra helpful if you happen to do nicely, however as a bowler now you’re extra within the enterprise of problem-solving than going out and expressing your commerce. You’re continually reacting to folks messing with the principles.’
Regardless of his misgivings, Topley is focusing on one other T20 competitors past this World Cup, which begins on Sunday. ‘An attention-grabbing one for me is the Olympics,’ he says, with cricket set to be included at Los Angeles 2028, 128 years after its solely earlier look, in Paris. ‘I’ll be 34, and it’ll be a pleasant one to purpose for.’
Given what Topley has been by, who would begrudge him ending with a gold medal?
