Sarwan ruled out of tour

Ramnaresh Sarwan, the West Indies captain, has been ruled out of the rest of the England tour with the shoulder injury sustained last week, a spokesman has confirmed. West Indies were expecting the news, but nevertheless it's a further blow following their drubbing by England in the second Test at Headingley, when Sarwan picked up the problem.

"Unfortunately Sarwan's injury will take approximately six weeks to heal and as a result he will not be able to take any further part in this tour," the manager Mike Findlay said on Tuesday afternoon from the team hotel in Leeds.

It's not yet been decided who the replacement captain will be, although Daren Ganga will be strongly placed for the nod, after deputising admirably in Leeds. Findlay said: "As soon as a decision is reached we will make an announcement on who the player is."

Sarwan spoke of his understandable frustration. "I am very disappointed that I would not be able to continue on tour," he said, "but I have spoken with the players and wished them well for the remainder of the Test series and the Twenty20 games and the One Day Internationals."

West Indies, who are trailing 1-0 in the Tests, have two further matches in a bid to turn their series around. The next Test begins at Old Trafford on June 7. Two Twenty20s at the end of June, and three ODIs in July, follow.

"I have confidence that the boys will be able to rebound after the defeat at Headingley and give a better account of themselves and the team as a whole," he added. Sarwan will leave London for the Caribbean on Wednesday May 30.