Watch: Reece Topley’s opening spell that left Bangladesh in huge trouble
Reece Topley served up a towering display against Bangladesh that saw England blowing away the latter to bits and pieces in the two teams’ World Cup 2023 clash. After posting 364/9, England handed the new ball to Topley, who was into his business straight away. He claimed two in two early on to get Bangladesh wobbling first and then he dealt the telling blow, claiming Shakib al Hasan’s wicket, reducing them to 26/3.
The first two dismissals produced by the ace English quick were very similar, underlining why Topley is regarded as a dangerous new ball bowler in world cricket. With the new ball, he was making it move significantly, not just troubling the Bangladesh batters but also sending across a strong message about his abilities.
The first to depart to Topley’s seam and swing was Tanzid Hassan, who edged an away-going delivery and the offering was comfortably pouched by Jonny Bairstow at first slip. Topley followed that up with another outswinger at a slightly pulled back length the very next ball, and Najmul Hossain Shanto prodded at it too early, edging the ball straight to Liam Livingstone at point.
While Topley’s first two wickets set the tone for England, he followed it up with the massive scalps of Shakib al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, breaking the backbone of Bangladesh’s batting unit. You can watch the video of Topley breathing fire early on here -
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