Test players who are dropped, as Geraint Jones finally was in August, are traditionally told to go away and get some runs in domestic cricket. Jones hasn’t. He is still painfully out of form with the bat, and his batting is what he was picked for – Chris Read, despite a tendency to leave too much to first slip, is a far more natural keeper, and his ability to standard up to medium pace could make Jon lewis and even Matthew Hoggard more potent.
If Jones is named in the squad this afternoon, it will be because he is a Fletcher favourite, althugh also, to be fair, because he made a vital 80 in England’s last victory over Australia. James Foster of Essex, a spirited cricketer who has already been on an Ashes tour and played a Boxing Day Test in Melbourne, has stronger credentials.
A word about Jones's namesake, Simon. A few people who have posted comments here seem to expect him to play in the Ashes. As far as we know, he is out of the whole series. More on the bowlers in a minute.
Posted by: Dave Harris at September 12, 2006 11:35 AM
It's got to be Read as the number one keeper, so the question has to be "who will benefit from going to Australia?" Jones won't - he needs time away from the International game to get himself back into some sort of form if he's ever to play for England again. James Foster's done nothing wrong and would be an ideal back-up in Australia (a job he's done before). If they take someone simply to get experience (a dangerous decision to take given England's perpetual injury problems) then Steven Davies would be ideal.
Posted by: sreekumar at September 12, 2006 11:49 AM
geriant jones for all the support from his team mates is far from the best keper england has.i think england shld stick with chris read as the primary keeper for the ashes. now simon jones is a dynamite bowler and if he misses the series then it will be a big blow. why not go in with two spinners and three quickies. i mean collingwood and monty. giles oh come on guys it is a joke the guy looked great bcoz england did not have good spinners. if he is picked the aussies will have fun.. i say mix it up... keep them guessing and ofcourse take people who have the stomach for a fight bcoz england 11 will have to play more than just the aussies11.
Posted by: austen at September 12, 2006 1:56 PM
The summer stats put andy flower, pothas and nixon way ahead of other keepers for batting average. If flower or pothas is england qualified one of them would be my choice
Posted by: Murali Krishnan at September 19, 2006 8:04 AM
I think that Geraint Jones must be the man behind the stumps for England in the Ashes Tour..The reason being he has played 5 tests against the Aussies and has experienced facing their strong bowling attack(who also looked impressive in Trent Bridge)..And any team would like to have a Keeper-Batsman who scores runs..Well,Chris Read isnt bad either but i would prefer him to stay as the gloveman in the ODI's..
And i hope to see Simon Jones in action who is currently the best exponent of Reverse-Swing and his performance has played a huge role in last summers Ashes..
So the bottom line is that Both the Jones(Geraint And Simon) Are Required and hopefully will do well.
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Tim de Lisle is a former editor of Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, Wisden.com and Wisden Cricket Monthly, where he won an Editor of the Year award in 1999. He is now a cricket columnist for The Times and Cricinfo. A former feature writer on The Daily Telegraph and arts editor of The Independent on Sunday, he writes about rock music for The Mail on Sunday and was shortlisted for Critic of the Year in the British Press Awards 2005. He plays cricket in the park with his children, bowling mediocre offbreaks.
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