SP Jones of England

Full Name:

Simon Philip Jones

DoB:

Monday, December 25, 1978

Birthplace:

Swansea

Teams:

Glamorgan

Test Debut:

v India at Lord's, 2002

ODI Debut:

v Zimbabwe at Bulawayo (Queen's Club), 2004

Bats:

LH

Bowls:

RAF

Player Record:

link to stats

The last time Simon Jones played against Australia he was working up a head of steam in the 1st Test at Brisbane in November 2002 when he ruptured a cruciate ligament in an appalling accident in the outfield.

It took some time for this muscular and bighearted Welshman to fight back from such a serious injury, but he is now established as an integral part of England's vaunted seam attack.

Jones has become a vital member of the quartet, and enjoyed a successful winter tour of South Africa where he picked up 15 wickets at 26.66 in four Tests.

Unfortunately for Jones his contributions were under-appreciated as the media focused on Steve Harmison's struggle to bowl straight and Matthew Hoggard's unexpected star turns.

The full-bodied rip and raw pace of Jones had first impressed in 2002 when he took four wickets at Lord's against India and booked himself an Ashes touring spot.

Then came the injury at The Gabba and a long time in rehabilitation. By the winter of 2003-04 he was back to a decent lick for the tour of the Caribbean where he took 15 wickets in four games to help win the series 3-0. He has since worked his way gradually up to a pace in the mid to high-eighties.

Jones has for a long time been seen as a specialist reverse-swing bowler with the old ball, but of late he has added the outswinger with the new ball to his armoury.

What Jones has to decide is whether he's a fast-medium bowler, slightly quicker than Hoggard, or whether he's going to bowl genuinely quick.

I'd like to see him bowl really fast because it's a rare gift and, if you can do it, you should pursue it. If he gets another 5mph, he'll have more margin for error on his lengths.

For Jones, it's a slightly psychological thing after that horrific injury, and he ambles up to the crease rather than exploding. He's got a quick arm action but he doesn't explode his body.

England see him as someone who can swing it early, be a container in the middle period and reverse-swing it when the ball roughs up.

He can do all those things, but I think he could get a lot more pace out of himself. He's also another bowler who hasn't convinced me he can bowl well at lefthanders.