IN THE space of a few days, Mark Butcher has gone from being England’s rock at No 3 and virtually undroppable to worrying about his future after Robert Key, his replacement in the first Test match at Lord’s, scored 221. “I’d be inhuman if I wasn’t a bit upset,” Butcher said yesterday.

The Surrey batsman, who was watching his county take on Warwickshire at Guildford four days after suffering whiplash injuries when a car drove into the back of his BMW in London, said: “It’s fantastic for Keysey. It’s not fantastic for me. I’m a bit gutted.

“That’s why in the past I’ve played (for England) when I was slightly injured. I played with a broken thumb in New Zealand and a bad ankle in Jamaica. If you don’t play, this is what happens. But I don’t think I can ever remember a case with players coming in and doing well straight away.”

To add injury to injury, Butcher, who had played in 42 consecutive Tests, was on his way for treatment to a thigh muscle when the accident happened. He is hoping to play in the totesport League tomorrow if his neck, which has 70 per cent movement, continues to heal and could be fit for the second Test against West Indies at Edgbaston next week, but that would present the selectors with a problem.

“If I was Robert Key, having just got 220, I’d be pretty upset to be left out,” Butcher admitted. But, at 31, he has no intention of retiring and said that he wants to play at least another two or three years of international cricket.

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