Butcher poised to defy knee injury and face Sri Lanka

There was good news for the England cricket team yesterday as they prepared for tomorrow's third Test match against Sri Lanka at Old Trafford. Mark Butcher, whose injured left knee has been the cause of concern for the England captain Nasser Hussain in the build-up to this vital game, appears to have recovered.

A final decision will be made this morning, once Dean Conway, the team physiotherapist, is happy there has been no negative overnight reaction to the strenuous workout he was put through yesterday. However Conway said: "Everyone was encouraged with the way he came through the training and practice session."

Having played 18 holes of golf in the morning, then football followed by some shuttles, a half-hour bat and some fielding yesterday, England's most successful batsman in the last 12 months could not be accused of failing to test his knee properly.

However, none of this alters the fact that Butcher will require surgery to correct the problem as soon as this game has finished. It does though bring a happy end to what has been a miserable week for the Surrey left-hander. Aside from learning he needed an operation he was fined £1,500 for public comments he made about the legitimacy of the Sri Lankan seamer Ruchira Perera's bowling action.

While the selectors will be desperate to play a batsman who, in his last 13 Tests, has scored 1,063 runs at an average of 46.22, they must be aware that there could be problems when it comes to fielding. Butcher looked comfortable batting in the nets, but if his performance during the warm-up football game is anything to go by, he may have problems twisting and turning in the outfield.

If he were to be forced from the field because of the same injury the Sri Lankans could refuse England the use of a replacement, leaving them with only 10 fielders.

This problem could easily be overcome, though, by fielding Butcher at slip, a position he was normally seen in for England before being moved this summer after dropping a couple of straight-forward chances there during the winter. It was noticeable that he was practising in that position again yesterday.

If, however, Butcher does wake up this morning with his knee having taken a turn for the worse, England have in John Crawley, a player equally desperate to play. For Crawley, who had an acrimonious falling out during the winter with Lancashire, the hosts for this week's Test match, it would mean a sooner than expected return to his old hunting ground. Bad feeling clearly exists between Crawley and certain members of the Lancashire committee, so much so that the Hampshire batsman would be quite happy not to run into any of them. Asked if he would avoid certain individuals, he said: "It is a big ground and hopefully I won't come across those people."

However, this is where his bitterness with the club ends, as he said it remained "one of my dreams" to return to Old Trafford to play. He said things had moved on quickly and "it has also been a dream of mine since March to return here to play in a Test match."

Crawley also feels walking out to bat could be quite an emotional affair, not just because every letter he has received from the Lancashire members since his departure has been complimentary and supportive, but also because it will give his family the chance to see him play at a place that still seems to mean a great deal to him.

This winter's events have not just affected John's relationship with the club but also his father, Frank, a proud Lancastrian. Crawley said: "My father was shaken up enough by what has gone on, for him not to renew his membership at the club and the decision of whether he wants to come to the Test match or not is his."

I have a sneaking suspicion, though, that if Crawley does play, his father will make the journey, and if he scores a hundred the first person he will raise his bat to will be his dad.