Injury-prone England pacer Mills ruled out of T20 WC due to thigh strain

Injury-prone England pacer Tymal Mills was on Wednesday ruled out of the remainder of the T20 World Cup due to a right thigh strain and Reece Topley was added to the squad as his replacement.

Mills, England's joint-highest wicket-taker in the tournament, sustained the injury while bowling during their Super 12 match against Sri Lanka here on Monday.

He left the field midway through his second over, immediately calling for substitute fielder, Sam Billings, to replace him before heading straight to the dressing room.

He subsequently underwent a scan which confirmed a right thigh strain, an injury similar to the one he sustained in 2018, which also ruled him out of the rest of that English season.

"Results of the scan on Tuesday night revealed the extent of the injury," England and Wales Cricket Board said in a statement.

"Surrey's Reece Topley has been added to the England World Cup squad following his role as travelling reserve."

The Event Technical Committee of the T20 World Cup 2021 approved Topley as a replacement for Mills in the England squad.

"Left-arm fast bowler Topley, who has played 13 ODIs and six T20Is, was named as a replacement after Mills was ruled out due to a thigh injury," the ICC said.

Topley was a reserve as per the allowance for teams to travel with extra players in view of COVID-19 quarantine requirements.

The 29-year-old Mills has been dogged by injuries throughout his career, including a degenerative back condition that he feared would end his career prematurely. He wore a back brace for three months last winter after suffering a stress fracture.