England drop wicketkeeper Jones

LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) England selectors today dropped wicketkeeper Geraint Jones when they named a 12-man squad for the third test against Pakistan starting on Friday.

Nottinghamshire's Chris Read replaces Jones behind the stumps.

The Kent player's omission means Read will return to the test side for the first time since playing in the first three tests of England's tour of the Caribbean in 2004.

Chairman of selectors, David Graveney, said: ''Geraint has kept very well this summer, but he has been short of runs and the selectors feel that this is the right time to make a change.

''We have taken this decision regardless of the injury to Geraint's finger.

''The key factor for the selectors was his form with the bat and we believe that he will benefit from having a break from international cricket and spending more time in the middle with his county.'' England lead the four-match series 1-0.

Squad: Andrew Strauss (Middlesex (capt), Ian Bell (Warwickshire), Paul Collingwood (Durham), Alastair Cook (Essex), Stephen Harmison (Durham), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Jon Lewis (Gloucestershire), Sajid Mahmood (Lancashire), Kevin Pietersen (Hampshire), Monty Panesar (Northamptonshire), Chris Read (Nottinghamshire), Marcus Trescothick (Somerset).

REUTERS AY PC1720