Samuels on his way

The West Indies have received a boost with the news that batsman Marlon Samuels will fly into England to join the squad on Tuesday.

The Jamaican has been plying his trade for Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League but ended his time with the franchise early to link up with the Windies squad for the three-Test tour to England. However, it seemed as though he had gone AWOL, as the 31-year-old could not be contacted after leaving India and it appeared touch and go as to whether he would arrive in time for the final warm-up match against the England Lions later this week. But, with the squad down to the bare bones, Samuels will jet in on Tuesday to bolster the ranks, although the tourists are still waiting for clearance for batsmen Narsingh Deonarine and Assad Fudadin, who are stuck in Jamaica waiting on United Kingdom visas. Samuels' absence meant that Darren Sammy's men faced Sussex in their opening three-day match with with just 11 available players, as paceman Fidel Edwards was ruled out through injury. However, the rain came to their rescue and only 34 overs were possible in the entire match, with the West Indies moving on to 90-3 when play was finally abandoned for good on Monday. The forecast is slightly better this week although rain is forecast for the Northampton area and there will be some disruptions to their match with England's second string. Sammy is looking for his men to get some decent time in the middle with the first Test against Andrew Strauss' men set to begin on Thursday, May 17 at Lord's.