Jones Sent Back To Old Kent Road

While politicians live in fear of having to spend more time with their family, cricketers with central contracts live in fear of having to spend more time with their county. This happened to Geraint Jones today as his paltry 91 runs from his last ten innings finally sent him back to Kent. England desperately need runs from their number seven, as there is no Giles to keep the tail-end up and Bell will not always be able to marshal the tail as effectively as he has done in the last two tests. In view of this Jones' replacement by Chris Read should have be made after Read's 150 not out against Pakistan for England A, but I guess it's a case of better late than never.

It is usual to select two wicket-keepers on tour and so both Read and Jones can start packing their bags for Australia. Clearly the selection of Matt Prior for the last tour was an aberration. Chris Read has gone from being third choice to first choice; how long he remains will probably depend on the next two matches. He should have been given four.