Ian Bell suffered an injury scare less than 24 hours before the start of England's Test series against Pakistan when he was struck on the left wrist during practice.
Bell took the blow during a session against batting coach Graham Gooch, who was using the sidearm, a tool similar to the one employed by dog walkers to send tennis balls into the distance for their pets to chase.
The batsman left the training area soon afterwards with his hand bandaged but an X-ray showed there was no fracture.
Bell appeared confident that he would be fit for the Test but it was another concern for captain Andrew Strauss and coach Andy Flower as they seek to keep England at the top of the world Test rankings.
Stuart Broad was struck on the foot by Jimmy Anderson during practice yesterday and sustained bruising but the bowler took full part in today's session and is expected to play tomorrow.
Yet England could ill afford to lose Bell, who is one of the most proficient players of spin in the team. The 29-year-old's confidence should also be high after he enjoyed a stellar year in Test cricket in 2011, scoring four hundreds and one double-century.
The worries about Bell and Broad are the latest injury problems for England on this tour. Tim Bresnan had to return home after a recurrence of an elbow injury, while his fellow seamer, Chris Tremlett, has been struggling with an eye infection and Graeme Swann had a tight thigh muscle.
