After England’s defeat by India on Tuesday, skipper Jos Buttler described his team’s batting as its “super-strength”.
They had failed that day, and there might be signs of slight decline, but Buttler is right. Jason Roy and Jonny Bairstow are England’s greatest ODI opening pair. Joe Root has more hundreds than anyone else. Ben Stokes turns up in clutch moments. Buttler is the only man to average 40 and strike at 120 in ODI history. Others wait in the wings.
Right now, England’s bowling is not just super-stretched. Their first-choice attack would include Jofra Archer, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, who are all injured. So are Saqib Mahmood, the next best, and Olly Stone. Adil Rashid, a wristspinner so much better than his rivals that England are currently replacing him with a seamer, is on pilgrimage to Mecca, but will be back for next week’s matches against South Africa.
That leaves them with a hotchpotch attack, led by David Willey. Reece Topley, who has been troubled by injury for years, shares the new ball. Brydon Carse, promising but raw, and Craig Overton hammer away in the middle overs. Then three all-rounders: Stokes, whose bowling is managed, Moeen Ali, and Liam Livingstone. On the bench, there is Sam Curran and Matt Parkinson.
In the first ODI on Tuesday, the batting malfunctioned so badly that there was no chance. In the T20s, England’s fate was again decided by their batting; leading to defeat in Southampton and Birmingham and victory at Trent Bridge. There were, though, encouraging displays from Richard Gleeson, Chris Jordan and Topley.
On Thursday at Lord’s, though, the game was in the balance when it was the bowlers’ turn to do their thing. England had 246 to defend, and the bowlers won Buttler a game to level this series and set up an appetising decider on Sunday in Manchester.
The bowlers had actually started their shift before they got to bowl, because Moeen and Willey had bailed the batters out from 102 for five, after another weary display in the face of excellent Indian bowling. England’s bowlers recognised, though, that get things right, and there was enough in the pitch for big rewards. They got things right.
It took until the fifth over of India’s chase for a run to be scored off the bat. Topley picked up the openers in his five-over opening spell from the Pavilion End, while Willey got Virat Kohli — after an exchange of words with an IPL team-mate — in his six-over effort from the Nursery End. Willey joked he had given Topley the more favourable end for a left-armer, but it did not seem to matter.
Topley returned later in the innings, showing different skills, and ended with six for 24, the best-ever ODI figures by an Englishman and the best by anyone at Lord’s. Topley has been plagued by back injuries that saw him cycle through counties — he has been at his best across formats for Surrey — and feared moments like this would never come.
“It means a lot, it makes it all worthwhile,” he said. “I had surgery just beyond that stand [at the Wellington Hospital] three years ago so it’s come full circle, which is crazy.”
Topley is a popular member of the England changing room. Buttler believes his winding journey to a second international coming has given him “a perspective”, as well as having “all the attributes to be a fantastic international bowler”. What are those attributes? He is not quick, but is accurate, bouncy and finds movement.
“Have you stood next to him?” laughed Willey. “He’s a giant. He’s a tall lad who gets extra bounce and bowls decent pace, always going to create opportunities. He bowled beautifully.”
After a tricky patch that led to missing out on the 2019 World Cup, and “falling out of love with the game”, Willey is resurgent, in his thirties. At 28, Topley is younger, but debuted in the same year, 2015.
Many times along the journey, few would have given them a hope of making World Cups this year and next. But both men are staking a claim at the right time.
