England's coach, Matthew Mott, has signaled that Jofra Archer won't be added to the lineup despite Reece Topley's injury during the clash with South Africa. Topley's misfortune happened on Saturday during the eighth over; as he tried to field a shot from Rassie van der Dussen, the ball struck his left index finger. Despite quick first aid on the pitch, he was in too much pain to complete the over and had to leave the field temporarily.
After receiving further treatment and having his finger tightly strapped, Topley showed great resilience by returning to bowl and even taking a wicket. However, the mood in the camp is grim, as a suspected fracture means the left-arm pacer is likely out for the rest of the tournament. Losing Topley is a significant blow, given his impressive run of eight wickets across three matches.
England's struggles are compounded by the absence of Jofra Archer. Although Archer is traveling with the squad as a reserve, he isn't being considered for play. The 2019 World Cup hero is still battling a persistent elbow injury. While he is physically present in India, his role is limited to working with the medical staff to monitor his recovery progress.
Because of this, Coach Mott doesn't see Archer playing any part in the final stages of the season. Mott candidly admitted that Jofra is not an option for selection, explaining that while he has reported to the doctors, he simply isn't fit enough to contribute to this World Cup campaign.
Earlier on Saturday, the reigning champions suffered a humiliating blow, losing to South Africa by 229 runs—the heaviest defeat in their ODI history. The Proteas completely dominated the match, leaving England's title defense in a state of total collapse.
Having won the last two white-ball ICC trophies, England has now plummeted to a low point in this tournament, with failures across the entire team. Currently sitting ninth in the rankings, they face a desperate, must-win situation against Sri Lanka this Thursday, October 26, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.