Reece Topley targets ODI whitewash against South Africa

Reece Topley is already daring to target a 5-0 one-day international series victory over South Africa.
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Topley’s career-best 4-50 in Port Elizabeth on Saturday helped England to a five-wicket win, and 2-0 lead with three to play.

The left-arm seam bowler, 22 this month, was in short trousers the last time England inflicted a 5-0 ODI series whitewash on anyone – in Zimbabwe in 2001.

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His international career is also in its infancy, after just nine white-ball matches.

But he has become a central part of a fast-improving team’s game-plan, and already has his eyes on completing another series win in the third ODI at Centurion today.

“We don’t want them to get back in the series,” he said of England’s hosts.

“We’re one game away from the series, and we want to wrap it up here – and then hope we can go for a 5-0.”

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Topley made his England debut, at home to Australia, less than six months ago and has slotted in quickly to a team determined, under Eoin Morgan, to put last winter’s embarrassingly early World Cup exit firmly in the past. He added: “It’s gone quite well for me personally, but the bottom line is we’re 2-0 up, which is the more satisfying thing.

“It’s obviously nice to get personal accolades along the way. But the end result as a team is what we all want to reach.”

This winter’s preferred ‘end result’ will not just be success here, to add to a surprise Test series victory over South Africa already, but when Morgan’s team go in search of England’s second global trophy – at the ICC World Twenty20 in India next month.

They have had notable away series victories before, including the 4-0 clean sweep against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates four years ago and a 3-1 verdict against the same opponents there late last year.

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On each of those occasions, though, it was white-ball consolation for Test failure. This time, England are on course to beat South Africa in both formats – something no tourists have done here since Australia in 2001-02 – not to mention the two Twenty20s still to come.

Topley added: “We have backed up the Test series win brilliantly. Two series wins out of two going into the World Twenty20 would be an amazing feat for us.”

Topley is an obvious candidate to be named tomorrow in a largely predictable 15-man Twenty20 squad for India, but he is careful to take nothing for granted yet.

“For me, personally, I’ve definitely left no stone unturned,” he said. “I’m looking forward to finding out what the squad is.

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“If I go to India, it will be a dream come true because that’s where I want to be, representing my nation at a World Cup.”

Brendon McCullum bowed out of one-day internationals with a win as New Zealand beat Australia by 55 runs at Hamilton to win the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy.

The Black Caps captain, one of the most destructive hitters in the game, was playing in his 260th and final ODI and signs off with 6,083 runs and five centuries. New Zealand were bowled out for a below-par 246, with McCullum contributing a typically rapid 47, but Australia could not take advantage and Usman Khawaja top-scored with 44 as they were skittled for 191.