England suffered a blow on Wednesday when it was revealed that their top all-rounder Darren Gough has been ruled out of England's tour to the West Indies which begins in January.
The 27-year-old Gough, who has a "degenerative condition of the left hamstring tendon," will be replaced by Yorkshire team-mate Chris Silverwood, who is currently on tour with the England 'A' team in Kenya.
Silverwood (22) will fly to Antigua to join up with Atherton's squad, who fly there tomorrow morning.
Gough called the latest injury setback of his chequered career "extremely frustrating and upsetting."
But England chairman of selectors David Graveney refused to rule Gough out of linking up with Atherton's squad later in the tour if his fitness level should improve during the next couple of months.
At the moment, however, that seems unlikely and the news is a blow to England's pre-tour morale - especially after the win over the West Indies in the final of the Sharjah one-day tournament before Christmas.
