T20 World Cup: Reece Topley hands England injury blow ahead of Afghanistan opener

Reece Topley hands England injury scare ahead of T20 World Cup opener against Afghanistan after rolling his ankle during fielding practice in latest setback for the seamer

• England open their T20 World Cup campaign against Afghanistan on Saturday
• Reece Topley stepped on the ‘Toblerone’ boundary foam during a fielding drill
• Left-arm seamer rolled his left ankle and will be assessed ahead of the game
• 28-year-old has recovered from four stress fractures of the back in last five years

By Paul Newman for MailOnline

Published: 07:00 BST, 18 October 2022 | Updated: 07:00 BST, 18 October 2022

England suffered an injury scare ahead of their World Cup opener against Afghanistan when Reece Topley rolled his left ankle during fielding practice here.

The left-arm seamer stepped into the ‘Toblerone’ boundary foam at the Gabba taking catches during practice on Monday ahead of England’s warm-up victory over Pakistan and is a doubt for Saturday’s match that launches this campaign.

England will continue to assess Topley this week but it is a potentially desperate blow for a gifted bowler who has suffered extensive injury problems throughout his career.

Reece Topley has dealt England an injury blow after rolling his ankle during a fielding practice 

Topley takes a catch to dismiss Haider Ali during the recent T20 series against Pakistan 

Topley, 28, has battled back from four stress fractures of his back in five years to become a regular and important member of England’s white-ball side and currently sits just outside the top 10 in the world Twenty20 rankings.

He has become particularly adept at death bowling, a traditional weakness for England, and had been earmarked to bowl the crucial 19th over throughout this tournament.

Whether that can still happen remains to be seen and his possible absence is the first real blow England have had in a campaign that has started brilliantly here, with three victories in four warm-up games and a dominant performance in the washed-out fourth.

And they saw Liam Livingstone return from injury on Monday to play his part in England’s final win over Pakistan and put down a marker for a place against Afghanistan in a side brimming with exciting options.

Liam Livingstone was excellent with the bat during England’s win over Pakistan on Monday

If Topley’s injury proves serious they have more options in travelling reserves Tymal Mills, who has looked impressive and quick in practice here, and Richard Gleeson. 

Mills could provide another left-arm angle along with Sam Curran and David Willey and serious pace alongside Mark Wood while Gleeson is an experienced alternative.

England hope it will not come to that and that Topley’s latest injury blow is merely an inconvenience at the start of a long tournament. They will assess him again in Perth where England will train again on Thursday before the big opening match.

Another left-armer who looks sure to face Afghanistan is Curran, who has had a great start to this trip and now looks likely to bat possibly as high as No 7 in England’s line-up, with captain Jos Buttler liking as many bowling options in his side as possible.

Sam Curran looks sure of his place in the England side for the opener with Afghanistan 

Curran has also looked good at the death here and looks set to bowl both the 18th and 20th overs when the opposition bat as well as bring the batting ability that saw him impress against Pakistan on Monday with a breezy unbeaten 33 off 14 balls with three sixes.

‘I hadn’t done much batting up to now but that’s a good thing because it means our guys have been batting well but Jos said to me ‘go up the order’,’ said Curran, who batted at six at the Gabba. ‘I really enjoyed it and it was a good run out.’

Curran now is in line to have the role of ‘finisher’ in this England batting line-up, coming in after the likes of Moeen Ali and possibly either Liam Livingstone or Harry Brook and perhaps only facing a handful of balls. But they will be crucial ones.

‘You have to train in a certain way to predict what you might face,’ said Curran. ‘You see the way ‘Livi’ plays. He knows his role, he knows he will come in and attack, and there will be some days it comes off and others when it doesn’t. 

‘If I play I know I will come in after the middle order and try to make the most of it so I’ve been working hard on my batting.’

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