Cricket: Jones exit could be blessing

Oct 18 2007 by Phil Blanche, Western Mail

SO not even a deal that could have made him the best paid player in Glamorgan history was enough to keep Simon Jones in Wales.

For that there should be widespread sadness as, after all, Glamorgan are rightly proud of producing their own players, especially those who go on to grace the Test arena.

And in Jones they had the perfect package: a Welsh fast bowler who allied the ability to get the best batsmen out with good looks as likely to put him on the front cover of New Woman as Wisden.

When England reclaimed the Ashes in 2005 and cricket suddenly became sexy, Jones was the marketing man’s dream client. How times change.

Little more than two years on, the Ashes are back in Australia after a 5-0 whitewash and Jones hasn’t played a Test match since following two knee operations in the United States.

Furthermore, in that time he has played five first-class matches for Glamorgan... and taken TWO wickets in 117 overs.

Given such sad statistics, which made the loss of his England contract inevitable, counties have undertaken an incredible leap of faith when holding negotiations with Jones and his representatives over the past few weeks.

After Sussex’s initial interest waned, it was down to Glamorgan, Hampshire and Worcestershire to contend for the services of a player who will celebrate his 29th birthday on Christmas Day.

With Hampshire’s deep pockets, that’s a bit like Chelsea taking on Derby and Wigan, yet, tellingly, the county of Shane Warne and Kevin Pietersen weren’t willing to risk too much on Jones.

Their offer did no more than match Glamorgan’s basic retainer and it was only when Worcestershire revealed their hand that Jones had a decision to make.

Despite spending most of the summer pleading poverty after their New Road home was flooded out, Worcester comfortably trumped Glamorgan’s offer.

Over the course of two years the difference is thought to be as much as £30,000, but sources suggest the gap narrows considerably even had Jones played as little cricket as he did last season – about a quarter of the programme.

In fact, the Western Mail understands Jones’ appearance-related contract would have netted him a club-record six-figure salary had he played in 80 per cent of Glamorgan’s games.

Given that he was keeping his counsel last night, ahead of Worcestershire unveiling him as their player, we can only assume Jones’ motives in choosing to end his decade-long stay at Glamorgan.

Perhaps it was more than the money, maybe he needed to step outside the Glamorgan comfort zone and test himself in new surroundings, albeit still in the second tier of championship cricket.

Whatever the merits of that, and as much as it pains me to say, I can’t help think Glamorgan are better off without him.

Jones’ constant battle for fitness had come to symbolise an ailing Glamorgan camp, while game-plans were unable to be formulated until the latest bulletin on him could be digested.

In sport it is said no player should be bigger than the club, yet Jones’ image (not his deeds on the pitch) were arguably greater than his county’s.

When Glamorgan chairman Paul Russell spoke of keeping an “iconic figure” at the club, he could only have been referring to his England exploits, 59 wickets in 18 Tests when his reverse-swing was often at his devastating best.

Definitely not at Glamorgan where only 125 first-class wickets were accumulated in 53 matches, his season’s best being 34 in 2002 – the same year when he made his most appearances, 11.

Put into perspective, Mark Frost and Steve Bastien – two journeymen bowlers of recent vintage – had respective records of 144 wickets in 50 matches and 123 wickets in 54 games.

No, “iconic figures” at Glamorgan include the likes of Don Shepherd, Alan Jones and Matthew Maynard, players who did not have Jones’ international career but who contributed far more to the club’s rich history.

The truth is that if Jones ever does recapture the form which made him a superstar he would soon be spirited away from his county and into the England team. Where would be the dividend on your substantial investment?

However, the last two summers since that Ashes high has only seen Jones’ career spiral downwards.

For someone who never needed a long runup to generate extreme 90mph-plus pace, it has not been the end of the world to see him a come off a few paces.

But he has looked a shadow of his former self – no rhythm and little zip – and a Glamorgan senior player recently told me it was heartbreaking to see him almost reduced to a mediocre medium-pacer.

For all that, Glamorgan wanted to keep him as Maynard, the club’s new cricket manager, had championed his cause when he was controversially dropped by the club in 2004.

But Jones’ exit could act as a blessing in disguise as Maynard bids to turn around Glamorgan’s desperate playing fortunes.

To some extent, decks have already been cleared by the departures of Andrew Davies, Nicky Peng, Dan Cherry and Adam Harrison to loosen the purse strings. Now the salary set aside for Jones will help Glamorgan strengthen, with an overseas star among three more signings Maynard is expected to make this winter.

If smart moves are made, the day of Jones’ departure may be recalled as the one when Glamorgan eventually began to turn the corner.