22 October 2023 , 13:00
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Reece Topley's Cricket World Cup is over after scans confirmed a fracture to his left index finger from fielding the ball in Mumbai.
Topley suffered the injury during England's humiliating 229-run defeat to South Africa on Saturday. Jos Buttler's side have now lost three of their first four World Cup games and will find it extremely difficult to recover from such a poor start to the tournament.
It is a cruel end to a promising ODI World Cup for left arm seamer Topley, who was also injured out of the T20 World Cup last winter before a ball had been bowled. England went on to win that tournament to hold the ODI and T20 World Cup titles at the same time.
Topley, 29, heads back to the UK with Brydon Carse the most likely replacement if England look to bring in a similar style of player. The defending champions are expected to overlook fellow reserve Jofra Archer after coach Matthew Mott suggested as much.
"He (Topley) has got a fracture there which would have made it very difficult to keep playing," said Mott. "We’ll have to sit down and have a look at possible replacements. We’ll have to look at the upcoming games, and if there is an X-factor player we can look at.
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"That’s why we were very keen not to name the replacements and reserves, and it leaves an open mind for what we’re going to go with."
Jofra Archer isn't expected to be recalled (Getty Images)Who do you think England should select to replace Reece Topley? Let us know in the comments below!
England could decide against calling up a like-for-like replacement considering their dreadful start to the tournament. They could yet try to bolster their squad with a player such as Rehan Ahmed if Adil Rashid continues to struggle with the stomach issue he suffered in Mumbai and with the pitches likely to favour spin as the tournament wears on.
With England struggling for identity and failing to get on the front foot in three out of four innings with the bat, even Jason Roy could re-enter the conversation. He remains the only player bar Dawid Malan to have scored two ODI hundreds this year and was the catalyst for England's winning run to the trophy in 2019.
Mott discussed the possibility of Archer's return on Saturday. He said: "Jofra is not going to be considered for selection. He's come out and he's reported to the medical staff, but he's not going to be able to play a part in the end of this campaign."
England defeated Bangladesh in their second match of the World Cup but have lost to New Zealand, Afghanistan and now South Africa. They must beat Sri Lanka, India, Australia, Netherlands and Pakistan in consecutive matches to keep their hopes alive.