England left-arm medium pacer Reece Topley has pulled out of the final two weeks of The Hundred tournament to ensure full fitness for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, which will take place from October onwards this year.
Reece Topley Pulled out of The Hundred 2022
Topley said in a statement that over the last few weeks, he had been “feeling the effects of a busy summer more and more”
“Feeling the effects of a busy summer more and more over the last few weeks,” Topley said in a statement issued by Oval Invincibles. “Taking a short break feels like a sensible precaution to avoid injury and the risk of a longer lay-off.
“Nonetheless, I’m disappointed not to be contributing as the team enters a crucial period in the competition.”
The Invincibles head coach Tom Moody said “Obviously disappointed to be losing a player of Reece’s calibre” but “respect his decision”. The Oval Invincibles are expected to sign a replacement player in the coming days.
“Obviously there’s a lot of chat about the schedule and to be honest, for me to play as much as I have this summer and try to get to October fully fit probably isn’t sustainable,” he said.
“I’m having to box smart with where I play and not necessarily go for broke at this point in the season. My priority is to be available for selection for the World Cup and I’m doing everything in my power to be available. If that means missing games here and there, so be it.”
Topley took five wickets, including a three-wicket haul against Southern Brave, in this season so far.
Invincibles will also lose two more of its overseas players after the match against Birmingham Phoenix on Tuesday, Sunil Narine will return to play Caribbean Premier League (CPL) to the Caribbean while on the other hand, Mohammad Hasnain has been called up to Pakistan’s Asia Cup 2022 squad as a replacement for Shaheen Afridi.
The Australian spinner Peter Hatzoglour has been confirmed as Narine’s replacement while Hasnain’s replacement is unconfirmed right now.
