Ashes 2005: Top five performers

2. Simon Jones swings it for England (66 runs and 18 wickets)

Glamorgan pacer Simon Jones exhibited superb control over the art of swing bowling as he troubled the famed Australian batting line-up time and again. But for injuries to his bowling side and ankle, he would easily have added more to his final tally of wickets.

Bowling in tandem with Flintoff, Jones responded to his captain’s call with a fiery six-wicket haul in the third Test. He generated prodigious amounts of reverse-swing, notably troubling the trio of Hayden, Ponting and Clarke in the four matches he played.

Jones provided vital runs down the order, showing that he was no mug with the bat. However, an ankle injury ruled him out of the final Test and, subsequently, his international career was put on indefinite hiatus.