England pacer Reece Topley has been ruled out of the final three T20Is of the side's series against West Indies after sustaining an injury while bowling in the first T20I.
Topley looked to jar his right knee during his delivery stride in the third over of his spell. He went down immediately, with players gathering around him as he stayed on the floor, and received treatment during the short rain delay which followed the ball. Although he attempted to continue his spell, he had to walk off the field with two balls remaining in his over.
As he walked up the stairs to the England dressing room, he was seen picking up a chair and smashing it on the handrail of the staircase. He was later fined 15 per cent of his match fee for the incident, and was given one demerit point on his record. Topley was involved in a similar incident last year during the 50-over World Cup, when he hit a chair out of the way while walking off the field with an injury which ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.
We're all with you, Toppers ❤️
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) November 14, 2024
Reece Topley has been ruled out of the remainder of the T20I series against West Indies through injury, and is to fly home from St Lucia.
🌴 #WIvENG 🏴 | #EnglandCricket pic.twitter.com/WPqcfsq6aR
A post from the England Cricket team on X (formerly Twitter) did not expand on the nature of the injury, but it's another to add to the list of freakish injuries which have plagued Topley's career. Days before the 2022 T20 World Cup, Topley trod on a boundary sponge in a warm-up match and ruptured the ligaments in his left ankle, which ruled him out of the tournament which England went on to win. The following March, he dislocated his shoulder while playing for RCB in the IPL after landing heavily in the outfield. He sustained a broken finger during last year's 50-over World Cup which saw him flown home halfway through the group stage. Earlier in his career, he suffered four stress fractures in five years which truncated his international career after he made his international debut in 2015.
England's next white-ball assignment is in January, with a five-match T20I series followed by a three-match ODI series against India ahead of the Champions Trophy.
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