Achievement means a lot to me – Topley

REECE Topley savoured his moment in the sun after claiming England’s record one-day bowling figures in a 100-run thrashing of India on Thursday, writes Rory Dollard.

After being routed by ten wickets at the Oval on Tuesday, England needed victory to stay alive in the Royal London Series, and Topley delivered in style to tee up tomorrow’s decider.

Defending a modest 246 all out, the Surrey left-armer took outstanding figures of six for 24 to ruin the Indian response.

Topley stuck to a consistently difficult line and length, showing off his range as he struck at the start, middle and end of the innings to sneak ahead of current assistant coach Paul Collingwood in the the history books.

The 28-year-old first made his international debut seven years ago, but spent four years ravaged by injury problems, including four separate stress fractures that threatened his career.

“It means a lot, it makes it all worthwhile to be honest,” he said after sealing victory for his side with 11 overs to spare.

“It is everyone’s dream to play for England. I just want to pull the shirt on as many times as I can and play my part. It is a privilege every time.

“It was a terrific performance by the team to bounce back from defeat the other day and I’m just happy that I played my part.”

Topley’s tribulations have not gone unnoticed, or his fighting spirit unappreciated, by teammates, with captain Jos Buttler paying tribute to the left-armer.

“He’s a very popular member of the team and I’m delighted for him,” said the skipper. “He’s had quite an interesting story. For him to come back from that and to take six for 24 at Lord’s is an incredibly special performance.

“It’s a tribute to his perseverance and his outlook on life and the game. He’s had really tough experiences, not knowing if he would play again, and that’s given him a real sense of perspective and a real enjoyment when he’s playing. He’s got all the attributes to be a fantastic international bowler and I’m delighted for him to get those results today.”

On the overall performance, Buttler added: “We felt like we were a few short at the halfway stage, but I think the intent we played with as a team is what helped us get up to a score. We can bat better, absolutely we can, but instead of playing it safe we were proactive.”