England recall Jennings to replace struggling Stoneman

Keaton Jennings will have the chance to impress in Test cricket again, but Mark Stoneman has been dropped by England.

Published : May 28, 2018 14:22 IST

Mark Stoneman has been dropped from England's squad for the second Test against Pakistan, with the returning Keaton Jennings named in his place.

Opening batsman Stoneman has struggled for form and faced further scrutiny after a poor showing in the first Test at Lord's, making just 13 runs across two innings as Pakistan romped to a nine-wicket win.

Stoneman and Alastair Cook's average of 18.75 for the first wicket is the lowest for an England opening pair that have batted at least 20 times together.

Consequently, Jennings - who has not played Test cricket since last year's home series against South Africa - earns a recall for the match at Headingley after impressing in the County Championship this year.

Since joining Lancashire, left-hander Jennings has racked up 314 runs in the four-day game, including hitting two centuries, at an average of 43.79.

He made a hundred on his Test debut for England in India in December 2016 but was dropped from the side after failing to pass 50 in four matches against the Proteas.

"Keaton Jennings showed a strong temperament in scoring a hundred on his Test match debut against India in December 2016," national selector Ed Smith told the ECB's official website. 

"Keaton has found good form in county cricket this season, including three centuries in his last seven innings [one coming in the One-Day Cup].

"Mark Stoneman misses out at Headingley. Mark has experienced a disappointing start to the 2018 season and had a difficult Test match at Lord's."

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