It was Sunday afternoon. I’d just had a slap up roast dinner and settled down to watch Sky’s first county match of the new season – the CB40 clash between Hampshire and Warwickshire at the Rose Bowl. At this point in proceedings I usually put my feet on the coffee table and cheekily ask my Mrs to fetch me a cool one from the fridge. No such luck this time. For some reason she was sitting next to me. The reason? Simon ‘heartthrob’ Jones was back. The man who makes women swoon and husbands everywhere feel totally inadequate.
Although I had to fetch my own beer all afternoon, which was an obvious negative, it was hugely heart-warming to see Jones back in action. The first thing that struck me (and my wife for that matter) was his physique. He looked incredibly lean. Slimmer, perhaps, than when he was ripping through the Aussie line-up in the 2005 Ashes. He also bowled quickly – hitting 90mph on more than a few occasions in an impressive opening burst.
Watching the Warwickshire batsmen hopping around as if they were facing Shaun Tait, another fast bowler who can’t stay fit for five minutes, got me thinking. Could Simon Jones play for England again one day? He’s no more unreliable than Tait – and he’s got a far better action. The Aussies do everything they can to get their fastest bowler on the park (even though Tait is mentally frail and looks like he might do a Bruce Reid and snap in half at any given moment) because he takes wickets. England could do with a wicket-taker too.
A test recall for Jones is obviously a bit unrealistic. England love to play four bowlers and the fiery Welshman is simply too injury prone to bowl twenty overs a day. But could he play the limited overs stuff? Again, it’s unlikely he’d be considered in ODIs, but maybe there’s a role for him in the T20 side? With the possible exception of Tim Bresnan, who possesses guile but lacks genuine pace, England don’t have anyone capable of bowling yorkers at the end of an innings. Jones knocked over Warwickshire’s tail with full fast deliveries. Maybe he’s the man for the job?
Jones’ 4-52 won him the man of the match award against Warwickshire. Although he should concentrate on playing for Hampshire at the moment, if he can stay fit (and we concede that it’s a big ‘if’) an England recall isn’t totally out of the question. It’s a long shot perhaps, but what a story it would be.
However, Jones wasn’t the only potential England player on display. Although Chris Woakes’ bowling still looks a little lightweight, his batting continues to improve. His 34 off just 21 balls almost won the game for Warwickshire. The odds on Woakes representing England again are a lot shorter – and not just because his county coach happens to be a selector. Can’t do any harm though.
James Morgan
I saw Jones play for Hants vs Durham at the Rose Bowl a couple of weeks ago and there was quite a lot of pace in his bowling but over a four day game, you worry if he can last. If he can stay fit, I would not be surprised to see him playing T20 games for England.
I am a big Woakes fan and would like to see him play more in the T20 and ODIs this summer. The one thing England must learn from this Winter is that the packed international calendar requires far more rotation of players then we are used to. It should be a great opportunity for the likes of Shahzad, Woakes, Rashid and Finn to gain some experience this year when some of the bigger names are rested.
So long as he can prove over a season that he isn’t made of twigs I would love to see Jones play in the ODI squad. Our 50 over credentials are still very poor and with Broad an injury worry I don’t see how we bowl a side out. With Jones in the mix we might just stand a chance. He deserves a shot after his performance in ’05, why not use him in 2/3 over bursts like the Aussies do with Tait? It certainly wouldn’t make us a weaker team!