Related Link : Pakistan in England 2006
England have dropped Geraint Jones for the Headingley Test that begins on the 4th of August. Chris Read, who has been in terrific form with the bat, has edged out the person who had replaced him in the England Side, a couple of seasons back. Geraint Jones’s axing is mainly due to the lack of runs from his blade rather than his glovework. Jones had taken five catches and a stumping in the Old Trafford Test that England had won by an innings and 120 runs. Geraint Jones had infact injured his ring finger after being struck by a rising delivery from Mohammad Sami. But that wasn’t the reason why he is being replaced by Chris Read, the Nottinghamshire wicket keeper who has played 11 Tests and 28 ODIs. The 27-year-old had scored a swashbuckling 150 not out for England A in the four-day game against Pakistan last month. Chris Read’s batting doesn’t look impressive if his statistics are looked at with the wicket keeper yet to score a fifty in either Tests or One Day Internationals. But it is believed that Read has improved his batting in the last two years by a long way and that has now forced him back into the English Team. The other change in the England squad is the inclusion of swing bowler Jon Lewis in the place of off spinning all rounder Jamie Dalrymple.
England Squad for 3rd Test : Andrew Strauss (Captain), Marcus Trescothick, Alastair Cook, Kevin Pietersen, Paul Collingwood, Ian Bell, Chris Read (Wicket Keeper), Matthew Hoggard, Sajid Mahmood, Steve Harmison, Jon Lewis, Monty Panesar