On Tuesday it was announced that Topley had “rolled his ankle” after standing on a boundary cushion during a fielding drill ahead of their final warm-up match against Pakistan in Brisbane the day before. The prognosis was initially hopeful ahead of England’s tournament opener against Afghanistan on Sunday in Perth, but the injury is worse than expected.
However, Mills has not played any cricket since August 10 after getting an operation on an injury to his right toe that blighted his 2022 summer. The last of his 13 T20I caps came in July, against India at Edgbaston, taking 1 for 35 from three overs. Having tried to give it time to recover, a decision was made to operate in the middle of August after his first appearance in the Hundred for Southern Brave against Birmingham Phoenix.
Mills spent the seven-match tour of Pakistan at home getting up to speed before joining the squad in Australia. He has so far participated fully in all net sessions ahead of the tournament. England’s next training day is Thursday.