Jones given the all-clear for the Caribbean

Simon Jones has been cleared to join England's tour of West Indies next week after scans revealed no substantial problem with his shin.

Jones was due to fly out to Jamaica today, after successfully passing a fitness test at the ECB Academy in Loughborough yesterday afternoon. But Dr Peter Gregory, the ECB's chief medical officer, decreed that Jones ought to remain in England to undergo a further bone scan.

Jones returned from the England A tour of India on Wednesday suffering soreness in his left shin. He underwent two scans, the second of which yesterday evening gave him the green light to join up with the squad in the Caribbean.

Michael Vaughan, the captain, and Duncan Fletcher, the coach, were keen to include Jones in the opening game against Jamaica on Monday, but he will now have only one warm-up match to prove he is ready for the first Test, which starts on March 11.