The left-arm seamer picked up the injury in his delivery stride during the fifth over of the series opener on Saturday, and though he attempted to continue to bowl after a short rain delay, he left the field after one more delivery, and took no further part in the match.
The injury was sufficient for him to miss England’s second match in Barbados, a seven-wicket win on Sunday to give them a 2-0 series lead. Topley will have a scan in London on Friday to determine the extent of the damage.
It was the latest cruel setback in a career that has been littered with injury, and as he walked up the steps to the players’ pavilion, Topley was seen picking up a chair and smashing it on the staircase handrail. The reaction earned him a fine from the ICC amounting to 15 percent of his match fee.
The 30-year-old’s damaged knee joins a list of unfortunate issues, including a career-threatening stress fracture of the back, and a rolled ankle – sustained on a boundary sponge during a practice match in Brisbane – that ruled him out of England’s successful T20 World Cup campaign in 2022.
Topley escaped punishment for the 2023 incident, but this time, he was found guilty of a Level 1 breach of the ICC’s Code of Conduct, with Article 2.2 relating to “abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during an International Match.”
Topley admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Richie Richardson, the ICC’s match referee, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
In addition to his fine, one demerit point has been added to Topley’s disciplinary record. When a player reaches four or more demerit points within a 24-month period, they are converted into suspension points and a player is banned. However, this was Topley’s first such offence within the time period.
*November 14, 8.45pm GMT – This story was updated with news of Topley returning home
