3 players who can replace Reece Topley in England's 2023 World Cup squad ft. Jason Roy

England's stuttering 2023 World Cup campaign received another blow as Reece Topley's broken finger ruled him out of the remaining matches of the campaign.

The left-arm seamer was arguably a crucial cog in their bowling attack, given his ability to move the new ball and is a genuine wicket-taker. Topley created an immediate impact with his four-wicket haul against Bangladesh to fashion a 137-run win over his side.

With Topley's absence, England's bowling unit could become further vulnerable, having conceded a behemoth 399 against South Africa at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai and eventually losing by 229 runs. To make matters worse, head coach Matthew Mott has confirmed Jofra Archer's unavailability as a replacement due to his injury history.

On that note, let's take a look at three contenders who the selectors might choose to replace Topley in the squad:

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3 contenders England are likely to choose as Reece Topley's injury replacement:

3) Brydon Carse

Brydon Carse (Image Credits: X)

Brydon Carse might be an experienced bowling all-rounder but has certainly shown promise in his 12-match ODI career. The 28-year-old has claimed 14 wickets in 12 ODIs, including a fifer, which came against Pakistan in Birmingham in July 2021. He kept giving credible performances in the 2022 home season in his limited chances.

Carse's most recent outing was against Ireland in Nottingham, proving as the most economical among pacers by finishing with figures of 8-0-40-1, scripting a 48-run win for his side. As a 28-year-old, exposing him to a stage as big as the World Cup could serve them well ahead of the next edition, given most of England's bowlers are in the last leg of their careers.

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2) Luke Wood

Luke Wood (Image Credits: X)

Luke Wood, the left-arm speedster, remains a like-for-like replacement for Topley but has gone wicketless in the only ODI he bowled in. Wood made his ODI debut against Australia in Adelaide in November 2022 but finished with figures of 10-0-59-0. Hence, he has been a distant candidate when it comes to England's white-ball plans.

Nevertheless, the 28-year-old is earmarked as one of the future stars of the national side. His List A strike rate of 116.50 in 6 matches along with a half-century also suggests that he is a handy batter down the order. The defending champions could do with a fresh face and a multi-faceted player like Wood right now.

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1) Jason Roy:

Jason Roy. (Image Credits: X)

With an injury to a seamer in England's squad, swashbuckling opener Jason Roy remains an outlier in this discussion. Roy, one of the chief architects of their 2019 World Cup victory, was unceremoniously omitted in favour of Harry Brook in the final squad for the 2023 edition.

The 33-year-old, who has 4271 ODI runs, also refused to participate in the preceding three-game 50-over series against Ireland as he felt reportedly hurt.

However, the selectors could seize this opportunity to recall the right-hander into the squad and shore up a struggling batting order. He also yielded encouraging returns for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023, striking at 151.59 in 8 innings and averaging 35.62. However, Roy's inclusion could also leave the management with a difficult call of who to drop from the XI.