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<\/p>\nIt is a week after Reece Topley broke his finger while fielding during England’s World Cup hammering by South Africa and the 29-year-old is back in the gym in south London.<\/p>\n
All the way from Mumbai to Clapham, he is adamant that he won’t be dwelling too much on yet another cruel bit of misfortune.<\/p>\n
‘It’s a s*** feeling. When I got home, that wave of emotion hit me. The last few days were rough, especially when you see the guys on the TV but what am I supposed to differently?’ Topley tells Mail Sport.<\/p>\n
‘I’ve moved on. I’m already thinking about getting fit for the West Indies tour in December. No one benefits from standing still. I’ll be back in an England shirt sooner with this positive approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘As soon as I broke my finger, I was already thinking what my next four weeks would look like and hopefully that time in the Caribbean pays dividends before the next T20 World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Reece Topley is focusing on a return to cricket in December after suffering a broken finger<\/p>\n
‘I’ve had bad luck but I’d rather play the game hard than shy away from things,’ insists Topley.<\/p>\n
Playing the game hard is what Topley has done ever since restoring his status as a regular in England’s white-ball sides last year.<\/p>\n
Since the start of 2022, only Adil Rashid (55) and Sam Curran (45) have taken more wickets than Topley (43) for England in white-ball cricket. Though both average in excess of 30, whereas Topley averages just 26 and has the best strike-rate of the lot.<\/p>\n
He took eight wickets in the three World Cup games he played, leaving him as England’s joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament at the moment, despite missing three games and he says that his preparation for England’s T20 World Cup defence next year began from the moment he broke his finger at the Wankhede Stadium.<\/p>\n
‘There was no point me staying. I knew straight away I was done. My finger bent completely backwards. I tried to bowl another ball afterwards and got driven for four,’ says Topley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘The physio looked at it but I knew it was bust. It was then a case of taking loads of anaesthetic and strapping my finger to the other finger to get me through the overs and do whatever I could for the boys,’ reveals Topley.<\/p>\n
Between 2016 and 2020, Topley didn’t feature for England and last year, he was ruled out of England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign after twisting his ankle on a boundary marker before the tournament. In many ways, it has been a bittersweet feeling playing for England at a World Cup where Jos Butter’s side have simply not turned up, losing five of their six games.<\/p>\n
‘The manner of the defeats are really worrying. We’ve gone down not in the way that we want to play. This team looks nothing like the outfit that the fans have loved. You win or you learn in sport and It doesn’t look like we’ve learnt with those big defeats,’ says Topley.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘The messaging has been pretty clear but we’ve not gone out and done what we were asked to. It’s not a bad team at all. If you didn’t pick this team, then who would you pick in their place? It’s the best 15 in the country but in a World Cup, you can’t have that many players out of form.’<\/p>\n
As for himself, his own reaction as he pushed over a chair and kicked a box as he walked up to the dressing room after his injury spoke volumes.<\/p>\n
‘The frustration was because I knew I was going home. I want to propel myself and be talked about as one of the best in the world but I need to play to prove that. The last few years I’ve felt like I’m in a great place and you can see that from my contributions.\u00a0<\/p>\n
‘I’m already looking forward to the T20 World Cup next year. I want to win a World Cup for England and put myself into that conversation with some of the best bowlers in the world.’<\/p>\n
All 11 of England’s side during their trouncing by Sri Lanka were at least 30-years-old and with a changing of the guard expected after this tournament, Topley admits that he would relish even more responsibility.<\/p>\n
‘I haven’t really given it much thought but if the side is to change and people hang up their boots, I’d love Motty (Matthew Mott) and Jos (Buttler) to give me more responsibility and really take a senior role in the side,’ he says.<\/p>\n
‘With someone like Gus (Atkinson) for example. He’s a great friend of mine and I love sharing whatever I know with younger players. Playing at World Cups for England with one of your closest mates is pretty cool and I’d love to bowl in tandem with Gus for England for a while.’<\/p>\n
With that, Topley’s break in the gym is over and it’s back to work he goes. A trip to California is planned next week with no intentions of coming back soon. England’s first ODI against West Indies in Antigua is in the first week of December.<\/p>\n
‘Yeah, I’m staying there,’ Topley says. ‘It’s near enough to the Caribbean so f*** dealing with the jet lag I’ll get if I come back and go back.’<\/p>\n