Reece Topley, who took 6 wickets in the 2nd ODI against India, could not hide his emotions at the presentation ceremony. He said with a full throat, ‘To be honest, it means a lot. This makes it all worthwhile.’ Pointing to Wellington Hospital, he said, ‘It was right above the stand where I had surgery three years ago. It is everyone’s dream to play for England and I want to wear this shirt as often as possible.
Wearing the England jersey once seemed like a far cry for Reece Topley. Although his life and career were progressing smoothly after making his debut at the age of 21, he was suddenly on the verge of retiring at the age of 25 due to frequent injuries. Three years ago, after another breakdown, Reece Topley thought his cricket was over. His joy of playing cricket for the country soon turned into pain after suffering four stress fractures in five years. He thought he could no longer bear the pain.
He told Telegraph.co.uk in an interview, ‘I had to inject a hormone into my stomach every day just to bowl and once a month I had to come to London to have an anesthetic in my back and myself I had to go to the gym for an hour before I was ready to bowl because I was playing with back pain. I reached the point where I didn’t have the courage to take the trouble because I was in a lot of pain.
The pain increased so much that Reece Topley made up her mind to retire. At that time he was only 25 years old. Then the selectors of England asked him to take time. Also assured that he would remain in the loop. Reece Topley took a one-year sabbatical. He distanced himself from cricket and turned to music and started spending time with friends.
He had few friends in the music industry. He soon started going to a studio in Peckham. There he hone his drumming skills and learned to play the guitar. He told ITV, ‘I have friends in the music industry. A friend told me they all think I should consider starting practicing again. It’s certainly nice that I have friends who do different things. A lot of them work in the city and it gives you a different perspective.
However, this was followed by a lockdown and the studio was closed. He then enrolled in a one-year microeconomic course from the University of California. He first wanted to keep himself busy during the lockdown. He has a full fledged gym in his house. Because of this he was always fit. Time made him more mature. He often talks like a philosopher.
Like after the third T20 when he said, ‘One day it doesn’t go your way and you become a villain. But you have to prepare yourself for the next match and try to be a hero. He also learned the importance of fully committing himself to something. Reece Topley told The Telegraph, ‘You can accept failure. You can accept six, you can accept four.
He said, ‘But I think what is it that you cannot accept – what I have learned from the coaches. If you are on top of your target and are committed to bowling 110 per cent yorkers and you know, that’s okay. But it’s almost frustrating when you go in half-heartedly, or you don’t commit to the plan or field you set out. I think that’s what I’ve learned. Just commitment.