Butcher fit for first Test

First Test, Jamaica: West Indies v England
Match begins 1505 GMT

Butcher rehearses his defensive technique at Sabina Park

Surrey batsman Mark Butcher has been passed fit to play for England in the first Test against West Indies.

He came through a strenuous fitness test at Sabina Park on Wednesday after spraining an ankle a week ago.

Butcher will be playing his 36th consecutive Test since regaining his place during the Ashes series against Australia three years ago.

England have named a 12-man squad with James Anderson and Matthew Hoggard vying for a place in the final XI.

It is expected the tourists will play their two fastest bowlers, Steve Harmison and Simon Jones, in tandem for the first time.

It will be Glamorgan paceman Jones' first Test appearance since suffering a serious knee injury in Australia on the 2002-03 Ashes tour to Australia.

Butcher, meanwhile, has done regular work in the gym as part of the new fitness regime which has been embraced by the squad.

Sir Viv Richards and Gordon Greenidge watched practice

"The general fitness in the squad has improved dramatically over the last few years," said Nigel Stockill, the team's physiologist.

"You only have to look at the number of gym visits each week within the squad.

"They miss it if they have more than a day or two without doing their weights."

Butcher is short of match practice, but captain Michael Vaughan believes it will not make a difference.

He said: "Butch has shown before that he is able to come into the side and clear his head and play well."

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First Test squads

West Indies (from): B Lara (capt), C Gayle, Devon Smith, S Chanderpaul, R Hinds, R Sarwan, R Jacobs (wkt), R Powell, A Sanford, T Best, C Collymore, F Edwards.

England (from): M Vaughan (Yorkshire, capt), M Trescothick (Somerset), M Butcher (Surrey), N Hussain (Essex), G Thorpe (Surrey), A Flintoff (Lancashire), C Read (Nottinghamshire, wkt), A Giles (Warwickshire), S Jones (Glamorgan), M Hoggard (Yorkshire), S Harmison (Durham), J Anderson (Lancashire).

Umpires: B Bowden (NZ) & D Harper (Aus).

Match referee: M Procter (SA)