Jones: We've earned Aussie respect

10 August 2005

Simon Jones believes England enter this week’s crunch third npower Test having earned a new respect from Australia after holding their nerve to claim their dramatic victory at Edgbaston.

Sunday morning’s thrilling two-run victory has set the series up nicely at 1-1 with three to play, starting at Old Trafford on Thursday, and lifted hopes of England claiming the Ashes for the first time since 1986-7.

It has captured the attention of the sporting public and given cricket a new prominence among the media and has also earned the respect of Australia’s line-up after years of one-sided Ashes contests.

“I would like to think they would respect us anyway even before we won at Edgbaston because our record over the last couple of years speaks for itself,” said Glamorgan seamer Jones.

“We are number two in the world and they are number one and the only way we can go top is beating them.

“I think we have gone up in their estimations after the last game - they have seen a different England side to the ones they have played in the past.

“It’s a young, confident side who are hungry for more and that is important.

"It’s hard to keep producing those performances, but they have got to keep doing it as well and it could come down to whichever team wants it most. We have got to make it count now.

"We have got three games left in the series and we have put ourselves in with a great chance of winning the series.

“If we had gone 2-0 down it would have been very difficult for us. To have won three on the bounce would have been a hell of an effort, but to win that last game at Edgbaston was special and the boys are really up for it now.”