‘It’s stupid’: England cricketer Ben Stokes slams boundary markers after Reece Topley injury

England’s Ben Stokes has pleaded for change after teammate Reece Topley suffered a “sickening” injury ahead of the T20 World Cup.

England Test captain Ben Stokes has called for the size of boundary ropes to be reduced after teammate Reece Topley suffered a “sickening” injury ahead of the T20 World Cup.

Earlier this week, the 28-year-old tripped over the boundary marker while attempting an outfield catch during fielding drills before England’s final warm-up against Pakistan at the Gabba.

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Scans showed that Topley had suffered ligament damage to his left ankle, ruling the paceman out of the T20 World Cup.

He was replaced in the England squad by fellow left-armer Tymal Mills.

Topley has been England’s best T20 bowler this year, claiming 17 wickets in 16 matches in 2022.

He is currently the second-best seam bowler on the men’s T20I rankings, behind Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood.

Topley, who has suffered four stress fractures throughout his playing career, was on the verge of competing in his first global tournament since 2016.

Reece Topley’s loss is a significant blow for England. Can bowl in every phase and has a couple of points of difference. But for him… it’s just wretched, sickening news. All those stress fractures - 5, I think - and now this. And his poor parents… they land in Perth shortly.

— George Dobell (@GeorgeDobell1) October 19, 2022

Just catching up with the awful news on Reece Topley's injury that takes him out of the @ICC World Cup #CricketWorldCup#ICCT20WorldCup2022. Bitter blow after an outstanding summer and England's best bowler. Resilience is an asset and he has that in spades. His time will come

— Ian Pont Official (@Ponty100mph) October 20, 2022

England losing Reece Topley is a big concern for them. Was good both in the PP and at the end. It weakens England's weaker arm. So too is the loss of Chameera for Sri Lanka. I thought he was the key bowler in that line-up

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) October 19, 2022

The boundary rope used in the T20 World Cup — commonly referred to as “Toblerones” because of their triangular shape — is 20 centimetres high and 20 centimetres wide at its base, while a traditional boundary rope is 4 centimetres high.

Of course, the larger boundary marker has more space on its padding for marketing and advertising logos.

Speaking to reporters in Perth on Friday, Stokes called the Toblerone-shaped boundary sponges “stupid”, suggesting it threatens player safety.

Sam Curran checks the boundary rope. Photo by Alex Davidson/Getty Images

“Unfortunately, it’s taken one of our players to be ruled out of the World Cup (to make people notice),” he said.

“I’m pretty sure it’s something they can look at but you know what it’s like — everybody wants to get their names on somewhere.

“But you look at player safety and the fact he’s stood on it and it’s ruptured ligaments and now he’s out of the World Cup. It should be looked at. I’m devastated for him.

“We are all just absolutely gutted for him that he’s missed out on this World Cup because he would have been one of the first names on the team sheet.”

However, England white-ball captain Jos Buttler branded the Topley incident as a “freak accident”.

“I don’t think it is a big issue,” he told BBC.

“People used to play in the past with no boundary rope and used to run into a fence. You have got to be careful.

“We practice around the boundary a lot to try and get used to it. I don’t see it as any more than a freak accident.”

On the one hand it's a bit harsh to say the UAE looked out of their depth today. On the other... pic.twitter.com/TasEm07SVx

— David T (@SportingTrade) October 16, 2022

Earlier in the T20 World Cup, footage of United Arab Emirates cricketer Aayan Afzal Khan tripping over the boundary rope went viral after his dismissal against the Netherlands in Geelong.

The six-second clip received more than 850,000 views in less than a week on Twitter.

England will face Afghanistan at Perth Stadium for its T20 World Cup opener on Saturday evening, with the first ball scheduled for 10pm AEDT.

Originally published as ‘It’s stupid’: England cricketer Ben Stokes slams boundary markers after Reece Topley injury