England look for ‘X-factor’ Topley replacement

England will attempt to identify “an X-factor player” to replace Reece Topley, who has been formally ruled out of the rest of the World Cup after scans confirmed a fracture to his left index finger.

Topley was struck while fielding a ball off his own bowling during England’s 229-run defeat by South Africa and was unable to complete his fourth over. He returned to bowl another five overs with his fingers stuck together, but was unable to bat, and the ECB confirmed on Sunday evening that his World Cup was over.

England are yet to determine which player will replace Topley in their 15-man squad, but confirmed on Saturday evening that Jofra Archer would not be considered for selection. Archer is recovering from a stress fracture in his elbow and joined the England squad in Mumbai last week as part of his rehabilitation.

He was initially described as a traveling reserve, but Matthew Mott, the England manager, made it clear he was not present to replace Topley: “He will not be able to play a role at the end of this campaign,” Mott said. He has since left India, although the ECB insists his rehabilitation is progressing as planned.

Durham fast bowler Brydon Carse made an appearance in England’s ODI series against New Zealand last month and also featured in the second-string team that faced Ireland, and as As such, he is the favorite to replace Topley in the team. But Mott stressed England would also consider alternative options.

“Good question,” Mott said, asking if England would replace Topley with another seamer. “We’ll have to sit down and look at that. We’ll have to look at the upcoming games. If there’s an It leaves a little bit of an open mind about what we might do.”

England are unlikely to qualify for the semi-finals unless they win their remaining five matches and significantly shift their balance on Saturday. As such, they might be tempted to bring in a batter – like Jason Roy or Ben Duckett – or a spin-bowling all-rounder like Liam Dawson, Will Jacks or Rehan Ahmed. Luke Wood is also a possible like-for-like replacement.

Topley left the field with one ball remaining in his fourth over during England’s 229-run loss to South Africa on Saturday evening. He was hit on the index finger of his bowling hand while trying to stop a Rassie van der Dussen forehand and, after bowling another delivery, was unable to complete his over.

He then returned to bowling with his index and middle fingers tied together, dismissing Aiden Markram and David Miller after removing Quinton de Kock with the second ball of the match. But, like the rest of the England attack, Topley was hammered to death by Heinrich Klaasen and Marco Jansen, conceding 45 runs in his final two overs to finish with 3 for 88 from 8.5 overs.

He did not come out to bat during England’s innings and was sent for tests to Mumbai, which confirmed the medical team’s suspicions of a fracture. “Topley will return to the UK within the next 24 hours,” the ECB said in a statement. “He will work closely with the medical teams in England and Surrey on his rehabilitation.”

Despite being ruled out for his first match of the tournament against New Zealand, Topley leaves the World Cup as England’s leading wicket-taker, with eight in his three appearances. This is the second consecutive ICC event that he has left early, having been ruled out on the eve of last year’s T20 World Cup due to a freak ankle injury, suffered while stepping on a sponge limit.