In order to be well in time for England's participation in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which will be held in Australia in October-November, Reece Topley, the lanky fast bowler, withdrew from the remaining rounds of The Hundred.
Topley was England's best bowler in their white-ball games this summer, taking 17 wickets in 10 games in series against South Africa and India. In his four games for the Oval Invincibles in the current Hundred, he took five wickets.
"Over the past few weeks, I've become more and more aware of the aftereffects of a busy summer. A little pause seems like a prudent precaution to take in order to prevent harm and the possibility of a prolonged layoff. Nevertheless, I regret not being able to help as the team reaches a key stage of the match "Topley released a statement.
The Invincibles' head coach, Tom Moody, stated that although the club respected Reece's choice, he was understandably disappointed to be losing a player of Reece's calibre. Given that the competition playoffs are soon, it is anticipated that the team would sign a successor for Topley soon.
With Topley's departure, there are now more English players who will not compete in the current Hundred season. White-ball captain Jos Buttler had to withdraw from the game earlier owing to a calf ailment, and left-arm pacer Tymal Mills had to withdraw due to a toe injury.
Buttler, who is now a commentator for Sky Sports for the Hundred, hopes to be healthy in time for England's trip of seven T20 International matches against Pakistan and the subsequent T20 World Cup.
"We travel to Pakistan before the World Cup, so it goes without saying that we have a busy winter ahead. I believe I must manage the first few weeks as they come and simply go with the flow in order to hopefully manage the tail end of Pakistan and especially get fully fit for the World Cup."