Butcher upbeat after more surgery

By Martin Gough

Butcher managed just five first-class games for Surrey last year

Mark Butcher has still not given up on an England recall despite having more surgery on his troublesome left wrist.

"It's been giving me a lot of trouble but hopefully this time it's sorted it out once and for all.

"I'll start using the bat again around the middle of February so - fingers crossed - I'll be ready for the beginning of the season.

"Obviously the main thing is to get fit first but ultimately (an England place) is always the goal," he told BBC Sport.

Butcher has not played for England since suffering the injury in a fitness session on tour in South Africa at the end of 2004.

As the problem continued into the season, the left-hander managed just five first-class games for Surrey at the end of the season, missing England's Ashes series victory.

While winning the Ashes was an amazing achievement there's still a lot of work to be done before you can say we're the best side in the world Mark Butcher

He was not picked for the tour of Pakistan, where England lost the Test series 2-0, and the latest set-back rules him out of the India tour party, to be named on Friday.

Since he last played, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen have settled into the England middle order.

Young batsmen like Alastair Cook and Ed Joyce are considered candidates to step up in the near future but Butcher is still just 33 and a veteran of 71 Tests.

He averaged 43 during England's last Test series in India in 2001/02 and believes England's batsmen need to be more patient than they were before Christmas.

As much as I like Butcher, I think he's pulled his shirt on for the last time From BA Have your say on TMS

"One of the problems in Pakistan was we gave away a lot of soft dismissals and didn't give ourselves a chance to post big scores," said Butcher, speaking at the ACE Cricket Academy development day at The Oval.

"If they'd just managed to keep their heads a bit better on the last day of the first Test match they probably would have won the series in Pakistan.

"As soon as you go a Test down in a three-match series over there it's difficult because you have to chase the game.

"It just goes to show that while winning the Ashes was an amazing achievement there's still a lot of work to be done before you can say we're the best side in the world."