Left-arm spinner Samit Patel has been dropped from England's [Images] one-day squad in West Indies [Images] because he is not fit enough.

"Samit Patel is a talented cricketer but he, like every other player who joins the senior team, must be aware of the strict fitness criteria that will be set," said England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) managing director Hugh Morris on Wednesday.

"It is extremely frustrating Samit has not heeded the warnings of his county Nottinghamshire and England selector Geoff Miller, as well as the England management and strength and conditioning team.

"In the circumstances we had no option but to de-select him from the tour," Morris said in a statement.

LIONS TOUR

Patel, who is not part of the Test squad in West Indies, will now remain with the England Lions on their tour of New Zealand [Images].

The 24-year-old last played for his country in a one-dayer against India in November and has since failed two fitness assessments.

"The demands of international cricket are huge and Samit must recognise fitness levels are a vital part of a successful team in international cricket," Miller said.

Yorkshire spinner Adil Rashid, a member of the Test tour, will now stay with the team for the Twenty20 [Images] international on March 15 and the five one-dayers which begin on March 20.

The ECB also said Worcestershire's Gareth Batty would leave the Lions tour to replace spinner Graeme Swann [Images], who will fly home after this week's fifth and final Test in Trinidad for an operation on his right elbow.

"I have realised for some time I would need surgery," said Swann. "We have managed it during the tour but the medical team believe this is the best time for the operation."