KENT wicketkeeper Geraint Jones has admitted his decision to tour Zimbabwe with England has been one of the most difficult he has ever had to make.

Jones, 28, is among a squad of 14 to play five one-day internationals in Harare and Bulawayo on the controversial trip which begins on November 26. Sussex’s Matt Prior will be his deputy.

Steve Harmison pulled out last week and Andrew Flintoff and vice-captain Marcus Trescothick have been "rested". Andrew Strauss and Ashley Giles have decided to tour, while Nottinghamshire's South African born all-rounder Kevin Pietersen is named for the first time.

Jones has also be named in the party of 15 for the one-day series against South Africa early in the New Year.

Now with eight Tests and 12 one-day internationals behind him, Jones admitted: “It has definitely involved a lot of hard thinking on my part. We talked to the guys who were there during the World Cup and they told us what happened. It was a tough decison for me, but I felt at this stage of my international career I had to go.

“There was no pressure put on us. The decision was purely left up to ourselves. The ECB have to send a team to play in Zimbabwe, and if they don’t it could lead to us being suspended from world cricket, and if that happened it could bankrupt the game.”

He added: “There was also the prospect of someone coming in and doing well, and with no guarantee that I would get my place back. That was also very much part of my thought process.

“Zimbabwe is a hot topic, and it plays on your mind that it’s the right thing to do. We have been told we are going there purely to play cricket, flying in, doing our job and flying out. That was another factor that influenced my decision.

“I’m aware there could be political demonstrations while we are there, and protests here in the build up to the trip, but I am preparing myself for that.”

He leaves with the rest of the squad on November 16, with two warm-up games in Namibia, ahead of the first game ten days later.