Tim Ambrose will play in the Fourth Test against West Indies after England's No 1 wicketkeeper, Matt Prior, flew home from Barbados this morning following the birth of his first son.

Prior had already announced his decision to leave the tour before next week's final match of the series in Trinidad but his wife, Emily, went into labour last night, a week ahead of schedule, to prompt a hasty change of plans in the Caribbean.

England, at least in recent times, have never stood in the way of players wanting to be with their wives and new-born children — Andrew Strauss, now captain, missed a Test in Pakistan three years ago for the same reason.

But, from a purely cricketing point of view, the timing of this new arrival could be better. Strauss's men, one down in the series with two matches to play, already have a huge gap to fill in their middle order on Thursday, with all-rounder Andrew Flintoff ruled out because of a hip injury. One option was to promote the in-form Prior to No 6 in order to keep five bowlers but there seems little chance of them taking that risk with Ambrose.

True, the Warwickshire player replaced Prior as No 1, on form grounds, in New Zealand 11 months ago and made 74 yesterday against a President's XI in Barbados. But No7 has always looked plenty high enough for Ambrose, who played his last Test against South Africa at the Brit Oval in August.

Prior was preferred throughout the pre-Christmas tour of India and looks to have regained his confidence on both sides of the stumps.

Meanwhile, Giles Clarke was today re-elected as chairman of the England and Wales Cricket Board — despite the furore over the Stanford affair. He was elected unopposed because his only rival, Lord Marland, withdrew from the race before the details emerged of the fraud investigation into the Texan billionaire whom Clarke had introduced to the English game.