(Image source: X.com)
[Saba Sports News] On Monday, pacer Brydon Carse was given approval by the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 Event Technical Committee to be added as the substitute for Reece Topley in the England squad.
The 29-year-old Topley injured his index finger while playing against South Africa in the 20th match of the ongoing World Cup 2023 at the Wankhede Stadium on Saturday. He sustained the injury in the seventh over of South Africa’s innings and left the field immediately. However, he returned after receiving treatment and ended up with figures of 8.5-0-88-3.
Nevertheless, on Sunday evening, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) revealed in a statement that Topley has been ruled out of the rest of the tournament, and a replacement would be announced in due course. Notably, England head coach Matthew Mott had also confirmed that Jofra Archer, who is undergoing an injury rehab, would not take part in the tournament as a replacement for Topley.
It has now come that light that Carse has been picked as Topley’s replacement.
“The inclusion of Carse to England’s squad was approved by the tournament’s Event Technical Committee,” ICC said in a statement.
This setback was significant for the English team as Topley had troubled the oppositions with his left-arm bowling, taking eight wickets in the three matches he played with an average of 22.87 and an economy rate of 6.61.
Carse has played 12 ODIs for England, picking up 14 wickets with an economy rate of 5.75 and an average of 33.93. He also has a five-wicket haul to his name, which he achieved in a fixture against Pakistan in Birmingham.
Every World Cup 2023 match for England now is a do-or-die encounter. Their upcoming clash is against Sri Lanka on 26th October in Bengaluru.
At the moment, the defending champions languish at the second-last position on the points table with one win and three losses.