England dilemma no.4 – Jones, or someone in form?

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.