Reece Topley has taken 262 wickets across ODI and T20 cricket in the CricMind global cricket database: 46 in 29 One-Day Internationals for England and 216 in 187 T20 matches spread over internationals, the IPL, the Big Bash, The Hundred, SA20 and the English county circuit. The numbers describe a specialist in the purest sense. He has scored only 157 runs in all of those matches, and every one of his 216 T20 matches includes a bowling innings. Teams picked him to take wickets with the new ball, and the record shows they got them.
Topley's full career file sits on his CricMind player page. This feature works through what the two formats say about him, and why a tall left-arm seamer's career reads so differently in 50-over and 20-over cricket.
Reece Topley career stats by format
| Format | Mat | Wkts | Bowl Avg | Econ | Balls/Wkt | Runs | Bat Avg | SR | HS | 100s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ODI | 29 | 46 | 26.20 | 5.40 | 29.1 | 20 | 6.67 | 31.7 | 6 | 0 |
| T20 | 187 | 216 | 25.05 | 8.62 | 17.4 | 137 | 9.79 | 96.5 | 14 | 0 |
Balls per wicket is calculated from the database totals: 1,339 balls for 46 ODI wickets, and 3,767 balls for 216 T20 wickets.
Where Reece Topley stands as a bowler
Two numbers sit almost level: an ODI bowling average of 26.20 and a T20 average of 25.05. Very few seamers keep the cost of a wicket that steady across formats as different as 50-over and 20-over cricket. The ODI game gives a bowler ten overs and time to set a batter up. The T20 game gives him four overs against hitters who will attack from the first ball. Topley's wickets cost about the same in both.
What changes is the rhythm. In ODIs he has struck once every 29.1 balls, roughly once every five overs. In T20 cricket the strike rate falls to a wicket every 17.4 balls, just under three overs. That gap is the shape of the formats themselves: T20 batters take more risks, so a bowler who keeps hitting a good length gets more chances. A left-armer who brings the ball back into the right-hander and angles it across the left-hander profits most from that.
The cost of those wickets shows in the economy column. His ODI economy of 5.40 is tidy for a new-ball bowler who also returns at the death. His T20 economy of 8.62 is the price of bowling in the powerplay and at the back end, where boundaries come regardless of the plan. Over 3,767 T20 balls he has conceded 5,411 runs. Teams accepted that because the wickets kept coming, 216 of them in all.
Reece Topley in ODI cricket
Topley's 29 ODIs for England produced 46 wickets, almost 1.6 wickets per match. For a bowler whose main job was the first spell, that is an excellent return. The new-ball overs in 50-over cricket decide how big a total can become, and an opening seamer who strikes once every five overs regularly leaves the opposition rebuilding.
He bowled 1,339 deliveries in the format, about 223 overs, and conceded 1,205 runs. Spread across 29 innings, that works out to an average of almost eight overs a game. England used him for most of his allocation rather than as a part-time option, which matters when reading the figures: these are the numbers of a frontline bowler doing a frontline job.
With the bat, the ODI record is that of a genuine number eleven. He faced 63 balls across 11 innings for 20 runs, with a top score of 6 and one six. The batting average of 6.67 comes from only three dismissals, because he was often not out at the end. In ODI cricket, England have long been able to carry a specialist at the bottom of the order, and Topley's selection was always a bowling decision.
Reece Topley in T20 cricket
The T20 file is where Topley's career gets its scale. 187 matches and 216 wickets take in England's T20 side and a long list of franchises:
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the IPL
- Melbourne Renegades and Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash League
- Northern Superchargers and Southern Brave in The Hundred
- Durban's Super Giants in the SA20
- Hampshire, Sussex and Surrey in English domestic cricket
That list matters. A left-arm seamer of his height offers something most attacks lack: steep bounce from a high release and a natural angle. Franchises in four different countries signed him for that, and the database shows him bowling in all 187 of his T20 matches. He was never picked as a squad filler.
His T20 batting is a little more useful than his ODI batting, but only a little: 137 runs in 43 innings, a highest score of 14, 14 fours and 2 sixes, at a strike rate of 96.5. A batting average of 9.79 from 14 dismissals tells the same story as the ODI line. He was at the crease to give the strike back to a set batter.
What the numbers show
Put the two formats next to each other and three patterns stand out.
The wicket cost holds steady. An average of 26.20 in ODIs and 25.05 in T20s is about a run apart. Whatever the format, Topley's wickets have cost the same. That points to a method that does not depend on conditions or match length: hit the seam, use the angle, make the batter play.
The strike rate follows the format. A wicket every 29 balls in ODIs becomes a wicket every 17 in T20s. A T20 bowler cannot avoid conceding runs, so captains judge him on how often he takes a wicket, and on that measure Topley is high-grade.
The batting does not count. With 157 runs and a highest score of 14 across both formats, every one of his appearances was a bowling selection. Few modern cricketers have built a 200-plus-match career so completely on one skill.
For context on where these wicket totals rank across the game, the all-time cricket records pages set Topley's numbers against every bowler in the archive.
Reece Topley's teams
Topley's career covers more franchise colours than most English seamers of his generation. Across his ODI and T20 career he has played for England, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Thunder, Northern Superchargers, Southern Brave, Durban's Super Giants, Hampshire, Sussex and Surrey. That is three continents and four of the biggest franchise leagues. It is the typical path of the modern T20 specialist: a home international base, a county contract and a run of overseas deals that keep the skill in use all year.
FAQ
How many wickets has Reece Topley taken in ODIs?
Reece Topley has taken 46 wickets in 29 ODIs for England, at a bowling average of 26.20 and an economy rate of 5.40.
What are Reece Topley's T20 career stats?
In 187 T20 matches across internationals and franchise cricket, Topley has taken 216 wickets at an average of 25.05 with an economy of 8.62. He strikes once every 17.4 balls.
Which IPL team has Reece Topley played for?
The CricMind database records Topley playing in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. His other franchise teams include Melbourne Renegades, Sydney Thunder, Northern Superchargers, Southern Brave and Durban's Super Giants.
Is Reece Topley a batter?
No. Topley is a specialist left-arm seam bowler. Across ODI and T20 cricket he has scored 157 runs, with a highest score of 14 in T20s and 6 in ODIs.