Flintoff Out But Staying on Tour

Andrew Flintoff will definitely miss the ­Barbados Test against the West Indies, which starts on ­Thursday. England's ­medical team bowed to the inevitable today after examining the results of yet another scan on the all-rounder's torso.

Flintoff, it was revealed, has a ­muscle strain in his right hip and the medical advice is that it is a condition that, ­initially, demands rest. So there is some consolation for his ­family, who are ­currently with Flintoff in ­Barbados.

Flintoff, who said he was "very ­disappointed", will be assessed ­regularly over the next week to see whether he has any chance of playing in the final Test in Trinidad, which begins on 6 March or in the one-day matches that follow.

Looking further down the line this injury throws into some doubt the Lancashire all-rounder's participation in the Indian Premier League. Some delicate decisions for the player and the England hierarchy are on the horizon.

In the short-term England will have to decide how to replace him for the Barbados Test. Yesterday two reinforcements, Ravi Bopara and Amjad Khan, arrived on the island. The management was waiting until this morning to see whether this pair would be ready to play in the two-day practice match, which gets under way tomorrow.

In the past England have always decided to play six batsmen and four bowlers in his absence. However, since they are 1-0 down in the series with only two Test matches left to play, they will now have to consider sacrificing runs for more firepower in a bowling attack that was eventually neutered by the docility of the pitch at the Antigua Recreation Ground.