Mills added to England squad as Topley officially ruled out of T20 WC

In what has come as a shock to England’s T20 World Cup campaign, left-arm pacer Reece Topley has been ruled out of the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia after sustaining injury before England’s tournament warm-up fixture on Monday against Pakistan in Brisbane. He was taking part in a fielding drill when the incident happened.

“Sussex seamer Tymal Mills has been drafted into England’s squad, having travelled to Australia as a reserve. Lancashire’s Luke Wood has been added as a travelling reserve. Wood will join the England party in due course,” England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said in a statement.

England will play their first T20 World Cup game against Afghanistan on Saturday while also scheduled to play against defending champions Australia, 2021 runners-up New Zealand and two qualifiers.

The 28-year-old was touted as a key player in the set-up after what he has done in the ongoing year. He has been England's leading wicket-taker in T20Is in 2022, with 17 scalps in 16 games. Given his ability to bowl both with new ball and at death, his loss would be felt so widely in the Jos Buttler-led side.

On the other hand, Mills has not played since August due to a toe injury and in all probability, he will be warming the bench with David Willey, who was already a part of the 15-member squad, being a direct shoe-in.