LONDON: Reece Topley has become the latest England international to switch his focus from first-class cricket to the white-ball game, following in the footsteps of Adil Rashid and Alex Hales.
The fast bowler, who has played 10 one-day internationals and six Twenty20 matches for England, has penned a contract with Hampshire for the 2018 season during which he will only play limited-overs cricket. “Hampshire Cricket can announce that seamer Reece Topley has signed a white-ball contract with the club for the 2018 season,” the club said in a statement.
“Topley, who joined Hampshire at the end of 2015, penned the new deal in December as part of a programme to help maximise his playing opportunities while preventing injury throughout the course of the season.” The left-armer’s 2017 season was ravaged by injury and he did not play after July due to a stress fracture in his back following an earlier hand problem.
“It has been a frustrating time for me as a young bowler,” said the 24-year-old. “It is hoped that this proposal will assist me by preventing further injury as my body matures.
“Going forward, I do hope to return to red-ball cricket and still harbour ambitions of being the first left-arm fast bowler to take 100 Test wickets for England but that remains a long-term goal.” Batsman Hales announced last week he had signed a new limited-overs contract with Nottinghamshire after England leg-spinner Rashid said he would focus solely on white-ball cricket for Yorkshire this season.
The moves are likely to strengthen fears that England’s top limited-overs internationals could abandon first-class, or red-ball, cricket, which includes five-day Test matches, in favour of playing in lucrative domestic Twenty20 competitions around the world.
But England’s Jos Buttler, currently on tour in New Zealand, still hopes for a return to Test cricket.
“I haven’t played a great deal of red-ball cricket recently. Whether that opportunity comes (depends on) performance,” he was reported as saying in the Guardian newspaper.
“I think at the back-end of this year I’ll be available for quite a lot of (County) Championship cricket -- so if I’m going to get back in that’s when I need to score runs. “
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