Agence France Presse

Kingston, March 3:

An ankle injury to left-hander Mark Butcher cast a cloud over the England cricket team on the second day of a non-first class, warm-up match against Jamaica at Sabina Park here on Tuesday.

Butcher, who is one of only three members of the party to have previous experience of a Caribbean tour, was fielding at mid-off when he badly wrenched his left ankle about half-an-hour before lunch and had to be stretchered off as Jamaica were dismissed for 281, in reply to England’s first innings total of 320.

It does not seem likely that Butcher will bat in England’s second innings that closed on 50 for one, although precautionary x-rays revealed there was no fracture or break.

Butcher is doubtful for the first Test, starting at Kingston on March 11. Apart from Butcher’s injury, the visitors had to contend with some plucky Jamaican batting. Mario Ventura and Shawn Findlay led the way with half-centuries.