Vaughan could turn to oxygen therapy

Michael Vaughan, the England captain, might resort to using an oxygen chamber in a bid to hasten his recovery from a broken finger.

Vaughan fractured his right middle finger when he was struck by a lifter from Stuart Clark in Yorkshire's Championship match against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl last Thursday, almost certainly ruling him out of the first Test against the West Indies in two weeks. Early reports from the England management also suggested that he might miss the second Test at Headingley, too.

But Scott McAllister, the Yorkshire physio, isn't ruling out using the oxygen chamber. "It is just one of the options being considered," he told the Yorkshire Post, "but it may or may not be beneficial in Michael's case. "We're icing the finger to keep swelling to a minimum and concentrating on making sure it is immobile at all times."

Hyperbaric oxygen therapy is a technique in which patients are exposed to 100% pure oxygen, promoting the formation of new capillaries surrounding the wounds and thus helping to hasten the recovery. It has been used by Wayne Rooney, the England footballer, and Simon Jones, the England fast bowler.

"That combination of regular icing and immobility could well be the best route to follow but we're keeping an open mind right now," McAllister added. Should Vaughan not be fit in time for the first Test, which gets underway at Lord's on May 17, it seems likely Andrew Strauss will replace him at the helm. And Strauss, who led England to a 3-0 win over Pakistan last summer, has received support from Darren Gough.

"Without a doubt Strauss [should be captain], as he's done it before and knows what it's all about," Gough told BBC Radio Five Live. "Unfortunately Flintoff got done for going out and having a drink but that should not stop him being captain of England. But I think they will go for Strauss."