England’s squad for the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has seen a change with pacer Brydon Carse stepping in to replace the injured left-arm fast-bowler Reece Topley. This inclusion was approved by the tournament’s Event Technical Committee, as per the regulations stipulated by the ICC, which require the committee’s approval before a replacement player can officially join the squad.

Despite having only 12 ODIs to his name, Carse made a significant impact with a five-wicket haul against Pakistan in July and continued to impress in subsequent matches against the Netherlands and New Zealand.

Reece Topley, England’s left-arm pacer, had to withdraw from the ongoing ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 in India due to a fracture in his index finger. The injury occurred during a game against South Africa in Mumbai when Topley attempted to field the ball off his own bowling. Although he returned to the field later in the innings with taped fingers to pick up two more wickets, scans in Mumbai after the match revealed the extent of his injury, leading to his withdrawal from the tournament. Topley is set to return to the UK and will collaborate closely with the England and Surrey medical teams to facilitate his recovery.

Jofra Archer, who is also in India with the squad as part of his injury rehabilitation, has been ruled out as a replacement, according to head coach Matthew Mott.

Injury Problem Not New To Reece Topley 

Topley’s injury is the latest setback in his career, which has been marred by various unfortunate incidents. Before the 2022 T20 World Cup in Australia, he suffered an unusual injury when he tripped over an advertising hoarding while practising boundary catches, resulting in ligament damage.

England’s performance in the ICC Men’s World Cup 2023 has been underwhelming, with three losses in four matches, placing them at the 9th spot on the points table. England’s next match in the World Cup is against Sri Lanka in Bengaluru, as the defending champions seek to stay in contention for a semi-final spot.