England coach Matthew Mott has confirmed that Jofra Archer will not be considered for selection after Reece Topley sustained an injury during the loss to South Africa.
Topley suffered a significant injury during the match on Saturday. The incident occurred when Topley attempted to field a straight drive from South African batsman Rassie van der Dussen in the seventh over of the match.
Despite receiving immediate treatment on the field, Topley was unable to continue bowling and had to leave the field without completing the over. The injury was to his left index finger, which was hit by the ball during his attempt to stop it. After further treatment, Topley returned to the field with his injured finger heavily strapped and managed to bowl again, even securing a wicket in his next over.
However, the injury has raised serious concerns for England’s bowling lineup, as Topley is suspected to have a broken finger and is likely to be ruled out for the remainder of the World Cup campaign. This comes as a significant blow to England, given Topley’s impressive performance in the tournament so far, having taken eight wickets in three games.
In addition to Topley’s injury, England’s cricket team is also dealing with the absence of Jofra Archer, who will not be considered for selection despite being a traveling reserve with the side. Archer, a key player in England’s 2019 World Cup triumph, has been ruled out due to a longstanding elbow injury. Despite joining the squad in India, Archer’s time there is primarily for the medical staff to assess his recovery progress. As such, he will not be able to play a part in the end of this campaign, according to England coach Matthew Mott.
“Jof is actually not going to be considered for selection,” Mott confirmed as quoted by Cricinfo. “He’s come out, 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.”
