Ananova:

Mark Butcher will prepare to line-up for England in the opening Test against West Indies a week after believing his Caribbean tour was over when he sustained an ankle injury.

The Surrey left-hander was passed fit to make his 62nd Test appearance after undergoing a strenuous fitness test at Sabina Park to ensure his ankle could withstand the rigours of Test cricket over the next five days.

Butcher has made considerable progress since first picking up the injury against Jamaica nine days ago, when he believed he would become the first casualty of the tour after being carried off the Sabina Park pitch by physio Kirk Russell and Ashley Giles.

"I thought it was much worse than it actually was when I first did it," admitted Butcher. "I have snapped a ligament on the same ankle before and when I went over it felt like I had done the same thing again.

"I thought that I was going to be on the way home so for me to be walking around on it two days later was a big bonus."

Since that initial diagnosis, Butcher has worked hard in the gym building up his strength in the ankle alongside physio Russell and has batted twice in the nets before yesterday's rigorous workout at Sabina Park.

"I think I owed it to the team and the management to put myself through it and make sure that I could do everything that was going to be asked of me over the next five days," he added. "I came through it okay and I am very happy with it now."

Providing Butcher suffers no recurrence this morning he is expected to be named in an experienced top order with Durham batsman Paul Collingwood, who has been placed on stand-by since the injury, missing out on a third Test appearance.

England's only other selection dilemma is whether to take the early tour form of Yorkshire seamer Matthew Hoggard into account or keep faith with the developing talent of James Anderson, who was overlooked for the final warm-up match against the Vice Chancellor's XI earlier this week.

Whatever the make-up of today's line-up, captain Michael Vaughan is aware of the excitement England's first series in the Caribbean for six years has created both at home and in the West Indies as they attempt to claim their first series win here since 1969.

"I can feel the excitement from everybody back home and here in the Caribbean," confirmed Vaughan. "It is pretty similar to when you go to Australia, you can feel the buzz leading up to that first Test in Brisbane.

"The lead-up to that game has been very similar to this one in Jamaica with the locals all talking about it and plenty of phone calls from back home whereas when you go to other places you don't tend to get that kind of response - we all realise it's a big trip and it's going to be an exciting trip as well."

West Indies' only selection choice is whether to pick hard-hitting Ricardo Powell or left-hander Ryan Hinds for the final place in their batting line-up after middle order batsman Dwight Smith was forced to withdraw with a dislocated finger on Tuesday.

They are also aware of England's 36 years of failure in the Caribbean and although they have an inexperienced line-up captain Brian Lara is expecting them to fiercely defend their history of success against the tourists.

"It provides a motivation for us as well," added Lara. "It's a situation we want to maintain and they have got to try and turn the tables so there is a lot of pressure on them to do that.

"We are playing at home so that is an advantage and the guys understand this is a situation which has been built up over a long period of time and this is a team that does not want to spoil that.

"The young players may be inexperienced but they know exactly what the record is, they know what they have to do to maintain it and they are very much looking forward to doing that."

	Related stories: LIVE: West Indies v England 14:09 Wednesday 5th May 2004 Preview: West Indies v England 22:47 Tuesday 4th May 2004 More related stories

	Check for more on: West Indies England Cricket

Reckon you know what the scores will be? Where the big sporting shocks will come? Have a flutter at Blue Square where first-time Ananova users get a free £10 bet!