Joy of six as India toppled by Topley
REECE LIGHTNING POSTS BEST ODI BOWLING NUMBERS
IT may not have been by the barest of margins, as Ian Smith famously called it, but Jos Buttler will take satisfaction from an important win at the Lord’s ground where England enjoyed their greatest white ball hour exactly three years ago.
This time there was no Super Over nor any of the excitement and tension that marked England’s World Cup final victory over New Zealand in 2019.
But there were the best figures by an England bowler in one-day international history and the best by anyone at Lord’s, as Reece Topley destroyed India with six for 24 after his side had seemingly fallen well short in being bowled out for 246.
It levelled this 50-over series and provided a lift for Buttler after his stuttering start to life as successor to Eoin Morgan as captain. And how satisfying for 28-year-old Topley who suffered such serious injury problems that, four years ago, he told Hampshire he would have to retire.
The road back from that has been a long and painful one for Topley but now, seemingly rid of the back issues that threatened his career, he looks certain of a regular run in England’s whiteball sides and another T20 World Cup later this year.
Only Chris Woakes, twice, and Paul Collingwood had ever taken six-wicket hauls for England in one-day cricket, but now they have been joined by a man who walked away from the game disillusioned with his fitness record before returning to make history.
Here Topley, with England full of intent in the field, made two vital early breakthroughs as India got off to a lacklustre start to what should have been an easy chase.
He came back to claim a third wicket with the second ball of his second spell and then finished the job off as India capitulated to 146 all out with 11 overs to spare.
‘I’m delighted for him because he’s a very popular member of the side,’ said Buttler of Topley. ‘For him to come back from back trouble to take six wickets at Lord’s is very special.’
Nobody reached 50 for either side on what was a two-paced Lord’s pitch that became more and more difficult for fluent strokeplay.
But that will not bother Buttler and new England coach Matthew Mott after England set up a decider at Old Trafford on Sunday. It had seemed England would crash to a second straight white-ball series defeat in what was a throwback not only to that similarly low scoring World Cup final here but also many an old-fashioned ODI from the past.
The only surprise was that the pick of India’s attack was not Jasprit Bumrah, their destroyer at the Oval on Tuesday, nor any of the seamers, but the type of bowler not usually associated with success at Lord’s in leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
He ripped the heart out of England’s batting by bowling Jonny Bairstow before trapping Joe Root sweeping conventionally and Ben Stokes reverse sweeping.
England could have fallen apart again but resistance was provided initially from Liam Livingstone and Moeen Ali and then David Willey. None went on to a big score but it was to prove decisive.
There were aggressive moments, notably when Moeen hit Prasidh Krishna for a six that cleared the Tavern Stand and ended up in St John’s Wood Road.
Moeen also pulled Bumrah for another six before he became a fourth victim for Chahal just when he could have propelled England out of India’s sights.
Livingstone, too, was determined to stamp his authority on India, in particular Hardik Pandya who he hit for successive sixes and then a four. But Pandya had the last laugh when he had him caught at deep mid-wicket off his very next ball.
England began the India reply seemingly as firm underdogs, yet that was to under-estimate the impact of England’s left-armers.
Topley dismissed Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan and returned to claim a third wicket in Suryakumar Yadav. He also cleaned up the tail in becoming the first England bowler to claim a five-wicket haul or more at Lord’s since Darren Gough 25 years ago.
Willey, too, was immaculate in a seven-over opening spell that saw him claim Virat Kohli and concede just 17 runs. It was all over when India’s last four wickets fell for six runs, three of them to Topley.
‘It means a lot,’ said Topley. ‘It makes it all worthwhile. It was just over the road from here that I had surgery three years ago, so it has gone full circle, which is crazy.’