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Barely has the dust settled on England’s three-day rout of Pakistan at Old Trafford than thoughts turn to the third Test and the sides continuing injury worries.

Top of the list causing concern is Geraint Jones who fractured the top of his right ring finger on Friday. Although he kept wicket well on Saturday — albeit with the help of a pain-killing injection — he must be a doubt.

Jones himself, who has been under increasing pressure in the media after poor form with the bat — will not want to surrender his hold on the gloves with the Ashes fast approaching. England’s selectors will give him as much time as possible to prove his finger can stand up to a Test by naming Chris Read in the squad as cover.

The selectors will face more calls to replace Jones after another batting failure which took his aggregate of runs to 91 from his last ten innings. He has the lowest batting average of any wicket-keeper in the eight leading Test-playing countries.
Source:The News