...What a fabulous cricketer!
I was just reading the article where he was praising Kev Pieterson and it got me to thinking - i wonder just how much BETTER England would have been with Jones around? 2005 he was undoubtedly the best bowler on show (that will get all the Flintoff fans having a go at me no doubt!)
No disrespect for the team going out there, but Jones would have wiped the floor with the likes of India last year - and would have been in my squad for Pakistan for certain!
Simon Jones
posted on 2/1/12
You most certainly could Singh_Saab.
He wasn't even bowled on the 4th morning of THAT Edgbaston test where Australia came within 3 runs of victory.
At the time he was seen as an expensive bowler, who was getting more and more consistent, and could bowl those magic spells. It all came together for him at OT and TB, but he never played again.
He's stock certainly rose after injury and through the period of poor form from England suffered post 2005.
posted on 2/1/12
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 2/1/12
So true. Players seem to have an amazing ability of becoming world beaters when they're injured...or imprisoned
posted on 2/1/12
I think Singh makes a good point about Jones but he did look very good at certain spells. Did he ever bowl in the sub cont?
posted on 2/1/12
Simon Jones, Muhammad Zahid,Muhammad Akram, Stuart Clarke.All of them were not able to realize their potential because of injury probs.But they had tremendous potential.
posted on 2/1/12
He never bowled in the sub continent. However I disagree Singh that he was a 'one series wonder' his performances in other series were also very good. And he was very unlucky he didn't take more wickets.
I agree 59 wickets at under 30 is inconclusive, but when he bowled both away (in WI and SA) and at home he looked lethal. I'd have backed him to do well if he had not had THAT injury which nearly ended his cricketing career.
As I recall I said that Jones was the best bowler in show - and he got good batsmen out. But i guess we will never know now anyway....!
posted on 2/1/12
I would like to talk about Irfan Pathan here. He was a decent bowler when he first came on the scene, but a combination of bowling on unhelpful pitch and dropping pace let to his confidence dropping.
He is apparently again doing well in domestic cricket, which let to his selection on the last ODI against WI. I watched him closely. and realized that he isn't the messiah of Indian fast bowling that he was made out to be.
It is human nature to talk up things after their "best before" date.
posted on 2/1/12
That may be the case for Irfan, however if you look at the calibre of cricketers Jones got out you may rethink that - in his first series Jones had both Sehwag and Laxman out, whilst in WI he had Lara out and the top 4 batsmen in the second test.Against Australia in his first FULL test series Jones was the most succesful bowler of all of Englands battery of fast bowlers.
I think figures and facts do all the talking for me
posted on 2/1/12
My best memory of Jones is when he threw the ball right at Hayden when fielding off his bowling and more or less announced himself into the scene. He was a good bowler to watch especially with the old ball.
As for Irfan, he was such a great talent when he first came in. I remember that first over hatrick against Pak when he bowled quick and was aggressive. What the hell happened to him?
posted on 4/1/12
"As for Irfan, he was such a great talent when he first came in. I remember that first over hatrick against Pak when he bowled quick and was aggressive. What the hell happened to him?"
By the time he got his hattrick, he was already down on pace. That pitch in Pak was as geen as any I have seen there. That pitch also proved to me that any pitch was possible in any country.