No doubt for Reece Topley that Jasprit Bumrah is greatest Test bowler ever after Headingley display
Reece Topley has played with some of the finest bowlers around, but none come close to Jasprit Bumrah, who he describes as the 'greatest ever'.
The Indian superstar may have been on the losing side at Headingley during the first Test against England, but Bumrah's first innings showing, with figures of 5-110, was yet another masterclass in fast bowling.
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It is something that England international Topley has seen up close, having played with Bumrah at Mumbai Indians during the most recent edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL).
And while there is often discussion around the best batters and bowlers of all time, for Topley, when it comes to the latter, there isn't any.
'For me, I don't think it's a debate,' said Topley, speaking at Lord's Taverners' National Table Cricket Finals Day – a fully inclusive, adapted version of the game aimed at young people living with a wide range of learning and physical disabilities played on a table tennis table.
'It's probably the rare occasion in sport where you get a lot of people agreeing on the greatest ever. And we're seeing with Bumrah there's no real caveat that anyone else has thrown into the ring either.
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'He's in a league of his own in the present day. There are the greats of yesteryear that me, and people my age, never really saw play, but watching some of those players, Bumrah, he's right up there with those people, which is incredible.
'T20 is obviously a different form to Tests, but spending time with him at the IPL, he's humble, he's competitive, he's got it all. He's a superstar in every sense of the word.'
Brendon McCullum's outfit took a 1-0 series lead in West Yorkshire on Tuesday after chasing down 371 – England's second-highest successful pursuit in Test cricket.
Front and centre of England's charge was opener Ben Duckett, whose brilliant and destructive 149 blunted India's bowling attack and broke the back of their target.
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By the time the Nottinghamshire man departed - caught in the covers trying to dispatch the ball for what would have been his 22nd boundary - his exploits had well and truly swung proceedings in England's favour, with Jamie Smith later clobbering a six to seal victory.
It was a second innings assault that not even Bumrah could stop - the quick failing to take a wicket during his 19 overs - and Topley was full of praise for the way England negated his threat.
Like all greats, they do have days where they show they're human after all.
'It's incredible that on the last day, he [Bumrah] didn't take a wicket,' Topley continued.
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'And that in itself is such a rare occurrence.
'But that's a testament to how well England played him and how well they performed.'
There were plenty of other impressive performances throughout the match too.
Ollie Pope's first-innings hundred, Harry Brook's destructive 99, Zak Crawley's 65 during his first-wicket partnership of 188 with Duckett second time around and Josh Tongue's match haul of seven wickets to name but a few.
And Topley believes the quality on show in Leeds sets the rest of the series up for more absorbing cricket to come.
'Headingley always seems to throw up these amazing chases, and credit has to go to the pitch there, it's famous for its day-five finishes,' he added.
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'And the cricket that was played on it was second to none.
'It was entertaining from ball one on day one, right the way up until the finish.
'Hopefully it sets up for an amazing series and they'll be a lot more incredible cricket to be played.'
On his own return to the international set-up, Topley who last played for England in November 2024 and is currently enjoying a fine run of form with Surrey, said: 'It takes two to tango.
'I definitely know I've got the ability, so we'll have to see.'
The Lord's Taverners impacts the lives of young people facing the challenges of inequality. The charity works across the UK and beyond to provide inclusive and impactful cricket programmes, empowering young people with disabilities and from disadvantaged communities – visit www.lordstaverners.org
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