REECE’S TOP TARGET IS TO PLAY IN IPL
EXCLUSIVE 1st T20,
Tues, 3.30pm (Uk) REECE TOPLEY has enjoyed a golden summer with England in white-ball cricket.
Now he is hoping England’s tour of Pakistan can take him one step closer to striking it rich in next year’s Indian Premier League.
The Surrey star has established himself as a go-to bowler in both T20 and 50-over cricket.
He has also shown what he is capable of with the red ball, since making the switch to The Oval in 2020 from Sussex. But he is not eyeing a Test call-up. “All my energies are going to be channelled into white-ball cricket from now on,” said Topley (below), who is likely to lead England’s attack in their tour opener against Pakistan on Tuesday.
“My goal is to play in the IPL. That’s my biggest dream in cricket right now.
“I would like to win the T20 World Cup with England but after that my focus is really on getting that IPL deal.
“I’ve had opportunities to go in the past. Unfortunately, people have said if you want to play Test cricket then you can’t go to the IPL because it’s not red-ball cricket. “So, something has to give, and if it’s my red-ball ambitions then that’s fine.”
This tour of Pakistan represents a perfect opportunity for Topley to show his versatility on wickets which will be far less helpful than those he bowled on in
England this summer.
For the 28-year-old, the upcoming World Cup in Australia – which starts on October 16 – also offers him a chance to banish the memories of the 2016 tournament, when he sent down just 4.1 expensive overs.
“My memories of 2016 are that I was very young and impressionable,” Topley said. “I was a bit of a yes man back then, probably to my detriment.
“This time around, I’m a lot clearer in my mind.
“I’ve got a lot more experience and I also think that there’s probably a bit more expectation on my shoulders.
“Because there are so few games, I think it will probably come down to run-rate so you can’t really afford to have any off days.
“If you do, then you’ve jeopardised qualification. You really need to hit the ground running.
“We’ve got these seven T20s now and then a series against Australia, so we’ll be going into the World Cup with doubledigits’ worth of games under our belt.
“We’re going to have to box clever to make sure that we’re all fresh and firing for knockout cricket.
“You’d hate to be running out of steam at the business end, but we’ve got a good squad and people who can take on responsibility when they need to.
“Hopefully the Pakistan tour will go well and we’ll be ready to hit the ground running at the World Cup.”