England's Cricket World Cup squad: Reece Topley reveals all about each player from Ben Stokes to Jos Buttler

Summary

England to play in Men's Cricket World Cup in India
Jos Buttler's side will aim to defend trophy they won by beating New Zealand in 2019
Commentary on every game, plus in-play clips and text updates on BBC Sport website & app
All stats correct as of 29 September

Live Reporting

Callum Matthews and Matthew Henry

The speedsterpublished at 11:46 British Summer Time 4 October 2023
Mark Wood in three pictures
Image source, Getty Images
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Mark Wood was another bowler who made their ODI debut against Ireland in May 2015. A Test cap followed later that month before a maiden T20 appearance came in June. Injuries, particularly to his ankle, plagued Wood's early progress though and he found stringing a run of games together difficult. He even lost his England contract at the end of the 2017 season.
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Wood opted to abandon a short run-up in 2018 and switch to a longer approach to the crease. That has paid dividends with the right-armer becoming a crucial component of England's pace attack in all three formats. Wood played a pivotal part in England's 2019 World Cup success, taking 18 wickets in 10 matches, while going at just 5.18 runs per over.
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Wood became a double World Cup winner last winter when he played his part in England's T20 success in Australia. Wood took nine wickets in four games, bowling at extreme pace. He then missed the semi-final and final with a hip injury but had played a crucial role at the start of the tournament as England started slowly before kicking into gear.
'Never a dull moment'published at 11:46 British Summer Time 4 October 2023
Reece Topley
England fast bowler on Mark Wood
Woody is the jester out here.
The faces and noises he makes in pilates have everyone in stitches while we're trying to concentrate.
In a way, and I don't mean this in a bad way, he is like a big kid. He goes to the pool and he needs to play with something in the pool. He's got Mario Kart in his room too.
Whenever we land after a plane journey he is always the one who stands up and claps.
There is never a dull moment with Woody.
He's got such a natural talent too and he'll be a key part of our side in this tournament. He's just a terrific bloke.
He'll be following AFC Wimbledon out here, which is a bit of a strange one!
Gus Atkinsonpublished at 11:45 British Summer Time 4 October 2023
Age: 25 | Born: Chelsea | Role: Pace bowler
Image source, BBC Sport/Getty Images
England's World Cup squads have tended to have a late charger in recent years and this time is no exception with Surrey fast bowler Gus Atkinson forcing his way in.
Atkinson was a relatively unknown quantity when the domestic season started in April but a string of impressive performances for Surrey and for Oval Invincibles in The Hundred saw the right-arm quick named in the provisional squad, despite only having made two List A appearances in his career.
Impressive performances against New Zealand then saw him included in the final 15-man travelling party.
He is capable of bowling at more than 90mph and has already showed a canny knock of being able to bowl at the stumps with an unerring accuracy.
He has also shown good variations, including a brilliant slower ball to bowl New Zealand's Glenn Phillips in the T20 series.
Atkinson may not be part of England's first-choice XI in India and may well substitute in and out for their other high pace option Mark Wood, who is recovering from a heel injury currently and has a history of niggles, suggesting it is unlikely he'd play all 11 games if England reach the final.
If Atkinson does play expect him to be a first-change bowler and bowl in the middle overs - like Liam Plunkett did so well in the 2019 tournament. He could also bowl some difficult overs at the end of the innings.
The newcomerpublished at 11:45 British Summer Time 4 October 2023
Gus Atkinson in three pictures
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Gus Atkinson made his debut for Surrey in first-class cricket and the T20 Blast during the Covid-affected 2020. However a spate of injuries meant his involvement was limited in the two seasons that followed.
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However 2023 has been a much better year for Gus Atkinson, both fitness and performance wise. A strong winter, including playing in the International T20 League in Abu Dhabi set Atkinson up to perform back in England. He was touted for a possible England call-up for the Ireland Test at the start of June but impressive performances in the Blast for Surrey (13 wickets) and in The Hundred for Oval Invincibles (10 wickets) saw the quick earn a call-up to the white-ball squads for series against New Zealand.
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Gus Atkinson took 4-20 on his T20 debut - a record for an England bowler - and then an ODI appearance followed with England great Stuart Broad presenting him his cap ahead of the opening New Zealand game. While not taking many wickets in the series Atkinson impressed with this pace and accuracy.
'An amazing travel partner'published at 11:44 British Summer Time 4 October 2023
Reece Topley
England fast bowler on Gus Atkinson
Gus is one of my closest mates in cricket.
He is a quiet lad and he's got a very dry sense of humour. Once you get to know him you realise he is one of the funniest blokes because he is so dry.
I've travelled the world with him on holiday. He is an amazing travel partner. We were in Barcelona together not long ago. We've also been to Italy and Ibiza and we'll probably look to go somewhere together this winter too.
We just put our shoes on the other day and went out around Guwahati. We obviously have to be careful because of the fandom in India.
He is a good guy. He is a yes man. If you've got an idea you'll run it past Gussy and he'll say 'yes' and that's good. There's no thrills, it's straight to the point.
He is someone I hang around with a lot. There is quite a tight group of us at Surrey and that has spilled out to England now.
He's come on leaps and bounds in the last year. It has happened so quickly and some people might think it has happened out of nowhere but he showed how good he is against New Zealand. Everyone out here, especially the bowlers, will be rotated and he'll get a chance and everyone will get a chance to see what he can do on the biggest stage.
His journey has not been straightforward, he's gone through a lot in cricket and personally as well and it is a huge credit to him that he's got to here. His journey has been unique. Hopefully it is only the start.
Reece Topleypublished at 11:44 British Summer Time 4 October 2023
Age: 29 | Born: Ipswich | Role: Pace bowler
Image source, BBC Sport/Getty Images
Reece Topley has had to wait for his World Cup opportunity but is now well-positioned to take it with both hands.
The left-arm quick was part of England's T20 World Cup squad last winter but suffered an ankle injury during practice before the tournament had begun and was ruled out.
He has been a regular part of England's white-ball sides over the last couple of years, and earned a late call-up to the 2021 T20 World Cup. He bowls at good pace at the top of the innings and through the middle and is developing his death bowling skills.
Topley's height means he generates extra bounce and can be tricky to face, especially when he is consistent with a stump-to-stump line.
He, like most of England's pace entourage, will be rotated throughout, but expect him to play a key role throughout the seven-week tournament.
The point of differencepublished at 11:44 British Summer Time 4 October 2023
Reece Topley in three pictures
Image source, Getty Images
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Reece Topley made his England white-ball debuts against Australia in 2015, but then suffered four stress fractures in five years and and had to fight back and show significant mental fortitude to forge a cricket career, let alone a significant international one.
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Topley has become a regular, injury permitting, in England's white-ball sides over the last couple of years. His left-arm angle - and extra height compared to fellow left-arm options David Willey and Sam Curran - can make him extremely awkward to face. Topley has shown impressive form, including taking an England ODI record 6-24 against India at Lord's in July 2022.
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After an impressive summer Topley was set to play a prominent role in England's T20 World Cup squad last winter but was ruled out of the tournament after rolling his ankle on the boundary sponges during a training session. That meant Topley had to go through months of recovery, and was then ruled out of the Indian Premier League in April after dislocating his shoulder. Topley has arrived at this World Cup with a clean bill of health and is set to feature in his second global tournament for England.
'I like to take advantage of the opportunity to travel'published at 11:44 British Summer Time 4 October 2023
Reece Topley
England fast bowler on himself
I will go out everywhere to be honest. People pay a lot of money to come and travel across India and we get to do it not on our dimes so I want to take advantage of that.
We are here to play cricket obviously but I still view it as a bit of a paid holiday. It is nice to be like that because cricket can be all-encompassing when you're out in this sort of environment so it is nice to just live your life rather than just eat, sleep, live cricket.
I'd like to try and fit in a trip to the Taj Mahal and Delhi and Mumbai both have a lot to see. I'm just waiting for the good venues!
Guwahati had a lot to do but most things were a drive away, but we'll get to some cities and people will have itchy feet and be keen to get out.
This is the third World Cup I'll technically be involved in and I don't feel like I've played to my ability in them yet. I want to have a good run at it.
Injuries can happen though, you obviously don't plan to have them, but touch wood I can't really have another one. It will be exciting to get out there and I'm going to relish it even more having missed out last year.
How to follow the Cricket World Cup on the BBCpublished at 11:44 British Summer Time 4 October 2023
Image source, BBC Sport
That is it, then. You now know everything you need to about the 15 England players that are in India to try and defend the Cricket World Cup.
Want to follow the tournament? Here's how you can do so across the BBC...
There will be ball-by-ball commentary of every match available across BBC Sounds, BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra and the BBC Sport website and app.
Live text updates, accompanied by in-play video clips, will also be on the BBC Sport website and app, alongside match reports, analysis and features.
Mark Wood and Chris Woakes will provide you with a unique insight into the England camp in a new series of the Good Pace for Radio podcast, available on BBC Sounds.
There will also be daily Test Match Special podcasts, while England women's bowler Kate Cross and former World Cup winner Alex Hartley will do World Cup specials of No Balls: The Cricket Podcast.
You can follow the tournament on our social media accounts, where we will have regular updates, behind-the-scenes videos, interviews and plenty more.
Search for 'Test Match Special' on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook, and 'BBC Cricket' on Instagram, using #BBCCricket to join the conversation.
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