Tymal Mills injury blow for England

England have suffered a major blow with the news Tymal Mills will miss the remainder of the T20 World Cup because of a right thigh strain.

Mills limped off the field during England’s Super 12s group match against Sri Lanka in Sharjah, having reached for his upper leg after abruptly pulling up in his delivery stride ahead of the fourth ball of his second over.

He was unable to return as Eoin Morgan’s side moved to the brink of the semi-finals courtesy of a hard-fought 26-run win on Monday evening and a subsequent scan has determined his absence for the rest of the tournament.

Mills tweeted: “Thank you for the messages. Absolutely gutted but I’ve been here before. Loved being back in an England shirt and will do all I can to get back again. Only a minor injury but I won’t be where I need to in the next 10 days. Backing the boys all the way.”

The England and Wales Cricket Board announced Mills’ fellow left-arm fast bowler Reece Topley has been upgraded to a place in the 15-strong squad, having travelled to the United Arab Emirates as one of three reserves.

Mills made a heartwarming first England appearance last month against the West Indies in both sides’ tournament opener after more than four injury-plagued years away from the international arena.

A congenital back condition has led to numerous complications in his career and he spent three months last winter in a brace, but a string of superb performances in the inaugural edition of The Hundred led to an England recall.

He is England’s joint-leading wicket-taker in the tournament with seven scalps, with his subtle changes of pace making him an attractive option at the end of the innings, to help England to four wins from four matches.

England have named an unchanged squad throughout the campaign – with Mark Wood and Tom Curran unavailable so far – but the Mills news will force their hand for their final group game against South Africa in Sharjah on Saturday.