ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Reece Topley To Miss T20 World Cup- Reports

Reece Topley, a left-arm swing bowler for England, has been ruled out of the T20 World Cup four days before the tournament’s opening match. 

Reece Topley was unable to participate in the World Cup after twisting his ankle during fielding drills prior to their last warm-up game against Pakistan in Brisbane on Monday. Either Tymal Mills or Richard Gleeson, two fast bowlers travelling with the England team to Australia, will take his position. 

Reece Topley Injures Ankle While Landing Awkwardly

Prior to their last warm-up match against Pakistan, which they won by six wickets in Brisbane the day before, Topley injured his ankle while practising fielding. The left-arm fast bowler hurt his ankle while landing awkwardly while standing on the boundary advertising cushions, also known as Toblerones because of their design. 

In the days leading up to Saturday’s tournament opener in Perth against Afghanistan, England had intended for Topley to be evaluated. Thoughts that his tournament may be ended before it even began were reinforced by the scan findings on the injury. After competing in the 2016 T20 World Cup, it would have been Topley’s second World Cup. 

Both Topley the athlete and his squad are devastated by his departure. The 28-year-old has a history of back injuries, having experienced four stress fractures, but he made a brilliant comeback in 2022, collecting 17 wickets in T20 after rejoining the club in the summer.

In one-day internationals, he has also had a great year, capturing 13 wickets in seven games. He hasn’t participated in a major international tournament since he made an appearance at the 2016 T20 World Cup as a 22-year-old due to injury. 

Reece Topley’s versatility as a bowler is highly regarded in the England T20 setup. He is adept at bowling throughout the powerplay, middle overs, and final five overs of all three T20 innings phases. He adds a significant dimension to England’s offence with his height and left-arm angle, while Curran’s skiddier trajectory is a nice counterbalance to Topley’s height.

Tymal Mills Favorite To Replace Reece Topley

Although Mills has competition experience—he did well in the World Cup in the UAE last year—he hasn’t played cricket since Aug. 10 due to an injury. Despite playing in two matches on the tour of Pakistan last month despite previous ailments, Gleeson has made an amazing start to his career as a late-blooming international cricketer this summer. 

However, Mills has a far better track record than Gleeson in Australian T20 cricket, which might work in his favour. 

Given that England already has Sam Curran and David Willey in their team, the fact that Mills is a left-armer and would be a more comparable substitute is unlikely to play a significant role. 

The other seam bowlers in the team are Ben Stokes, Mark Wood, Chris Woakes, and Chris Jordan.

Due to injuries, England will already be missing Jonny Bairstow and Jofra Archer during the competition. 

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