LONDON: Left-arm pacer Reece Topley has been ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023 remainder, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) confirmed Sunday.
According to the ECB, Topley fractured his left index finger during England’s 229-run thrashing against South Africa on Saturday.
“England and Surrey seamer Reece Topley has been ruled out of the rest of the ICC Men’s World Cup after fracturing his left index finger during England’s defeat to South Africa on Saturday,” ECB stated.
Notably, Topley sustained a blow to the index finger of his bowling hand while attempting to stop the drive on his follow-through.
Initial reports suggested that the left-arm pacer may have cracked his finger. He was then taken for scans in Mumbai which revealed the full extent of his injury.
“Scans in Mumbai on Saturday, after the match at the Wankhede Stadium, revealed the full extent of the injury. Topley will return to the UK in the next 24 hours,” said ECB.
“He will work closely with the England and Surrey medical teams in respect of his rehabilitation,” the statement added.
It is pertinent to mention that the ECB is yet to announce Reece Topley’s replacement for the ICC World Cup 2023 but right-arm speedster Jofra Archer emerged as a strong contender, reports suggested.
England had a disappointing World Cup campaign thus far as the defending champions managed to win only one game out of four and currently sit ninth in the standings, trailing by Afghanistan, who upset them by 69 runs last week.
England’s squad for the World Cup 2023
Jos Buttler (captain), Moeen Ali, Gus Atkinson, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Ben Stokes, Reece Topley, David Willey, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes.
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