Reece Topley: Music, Micro-Economics & 4 Stress Fractures; Story Of England's Hero Who Almost Retired At 25

At the presentation ceremony of the second ODI between England and India at Lord's, London, England pacer Reece Topley, who shattered the Indian batting with his 6-wicket haul, was unable to hide his emotions. "It means a lot", opened up Topley while choking for words. 

"It makes it all worthwhile, to be honest. It was just over that stand that I had surgery three years ago,” Topley said, gesturing towards the Wellington Hospital. “It’s everyone’s dream to play for England and I just want to pull on the shirt as often as I can,” he added. 

However, donning the English jersey once seemed a distant dream for Reece Topley. After making his debut at 21, his life and career were on track when a string of injuries began to take their toll and forcing him to think of taking a premature retirement. 

After yet another breakdown three years ago, Reece Topley thought he'd had enough of cricket. More than the enjoyment of playing the game, the bowler was under immense pain, suffering his fourth stress fracture in five years. 

“Just to bowl I was having to inject myself every day with a hormone in my stomach and once a month I had to come up to London to get an anaesthetic put in my back and then I would have to go to the gym for an hour before I bowled just to prepare everything because I was playing with a crack in my back. I reached the point where I couldn’t be bothered to go through it anymore because I was in so much pain,” he told Telegraph.co.uk in 2021.

When Reece Topley was just 25 years old, he thought of taking retirement. However, the England team selectors assured the pacer that his gifts are rare and he will be kept in the loop. However, the bowler changed his mind and took a year-long break. Topley took his thoughts away from cricket and sought the solace of music and friends. 

Reece Topley had friends in the music industry and soon started to hang around with in a studio at Peckham, where he learned to play the ukulele and brushed up his drumming skills. 

“I have friends in the music industry, they felt it was a real kick in the teeth when a friend suggested they should all think about retraining. It’s definitely nice that I’ve got friends who do different things. A lot of them work in the city and it does give you a different perspective,” Topley told itv.

However, the covid lockdown struck and the studio was closed, but Topley turned his attention toward academics. Topley enrolled himself in a year-long microeconomic course at the University of California. With a full-fledged gym at home, Reece also maintained his fitness. 

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And yet, after all the injuries and setbacks, Topley remained to be the same bowler he was, not a tearaway, but generating sharp bounce and movement, both off the surface as well as in the air. In the second ODI against India at Lord's, London, Topley picked up 6 wickets while giving away just 24 runs in 9.5 overs, recording the best ever figures by an English bowler in ODIs. The 28-year-old has been an asset and most likely will be donning the English jersey in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022.