White-ball IPL dream is Top of the agenda now for Reece

REECE TOPLEY has enjoyed a golden summer with England in white-ball cricket.

Now he’s 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’s capable of in the red-ball format since making the switch to The Oval.

But he’s not eyeing a Test call-up.

Instead, Topley believes he’s getting close to fulfilling his dream of landing a mega-bucks IPL deal.

“All my energies are going to be channelled into white-ball cricket from now on,” said Topley (below), who’s 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 obviously 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 that’s red-ball ambitions then that’s fine.

“My dream is to get to the IPL next year.”

Given his form for England, he’s unlikely to be short of suitors.

This tour of Pakistan represents a perfect opportunity for him to show his versatility on wickets which will be far less helpful than those he bowled on in England this summer.

For Topley, 28, the upcoming World Cup in Australia also offers him a chance to banish the memories of the 2016 tournament, when he sent down just 4.1 expensive overs.

He was on the outside looking in at the 2021 tournament too, not bowling a single ball as England were knocked out in the last four by New Zealand.

“We’ve got these seven T20s now and then a series against Australia, so we’ll be going in with doubledigits worth of games under our belt,” he added.

“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.

“Hopefully the Pakistan tour will go well and we’ll be ready to hit the World Cup running.”