Former England batsman Ian Bell has hailed Reece Topley as a smart bowler who has the ability to swing the ball up front and use his subtle variations at the backend.
Reece Topley was integrated into the English playing 11 in place of Mark Wood, who was rested as part of England’s rotation policy, in the second ODI.
The left-arm pacer had a brilliant outing as he swung the ball upfront and in the process accounted for Shikhar Dhawan, who nicked off after a painstaking 17-ball 4.
Reece Topley was equally good at the death as he gave away just 11 runs in two overs besides dismissing a rampaging Hardik Pandya, who smashed a whirlwind 16-ball 35.
Topley accounted for Pandya with a slower bouncer outside the off-stump. Pandya tried to pull it but the lack of pace ensured that he skied it straight in the air and Jason Roy completed an easy catch at the boundary.
“He is a tall left-arm; he has done well in domestic T20 back home. He’ll swing the new ball and then at the backend he’ll go to different angles and use his variations. So, I think he is a very smart bowler, not lots of pace but he’ll try to make use of anything that is there in the pitch, swing, or use cutters,” said Ian Bell on Reece Topley on ESPNCricinfo.
Reece Topley eventually finished with figures of 2/50 in eight overs and it was surprising to see that Jos Buttler didn’t bring him earlier in the attack during the last 10 overs given the manner Tom and Sam Curran were being carted all over the park by the likes of Rishabh Pant and Pandya brothers.
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