Hinds to join West Indies squad in Sri Lanka

The Jamaican opening batsman, Wavell Hinds, has been cleared to make the tour of Sri Lanka with the West Indies team after all. Hinds, who was a late replacement for the injured middle order batsman Shivnarine Chanderpaul, was himself injured while participating in the Melbourne Cricket Festival.

The clearance has been received by the West Indies Cricket Board, and Hinds will now travel to Sri Lanka today - via Miami - and is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Although Hinds has been cleared to join his West Indian counterparts on tour in Sri Lanka, he has been advised not to field too close to the wicket for the next few months.

This means that Hinds will be available for selection to take part in the West Indies' second warm up match ahead of the first Test. The WICB decided against naming a replacement for Hinds, and opted instead to await the doctor's opinion on whether or not Hinds could in fact join the West Indies on tour following corrective surgery to his broken nose.

The West Indies will engage Sri Lanka in three Tests, followed by a triangular one day international series which will also involve Zimbabwe and host country Sri Lanka.