Jones on course for Oval showdown

Simon Jones: making progress © Getty Images

Simon Jones is on track to play in next week's fifth and final Test against Australia, after recovering well from the ankle injury that caused him to miss the final stages of England's three-wicket win at Trent Bridge last week.

While his team-mates have been unwinding in the aftermath of victory, Jones has been undergoing twice-daily spells in an oxygen chamber, in a bid to reduce the irritation around the bone spurs in his right ankle. "He is progressing pretty well at the moment," England's bowling coach, Troy Cooley, told BBC Radio Five Live. "There is a chance, and if there is a chance I am sure Simon will take it."

I think he will play," added Jones's team-mate, Kevin Pietersen, speaking ahead of Hampshire's C&G Trophy final against Warwickshire tomorrow. "He seems very confident and positive." Jones's mastery of reverse-swing has made him a pivotal figure in England's set-up this summer, and he picked up consecutive five-wicket hauls at Old Trafford and Trent Bridge.

"I'll get as much treatment as I can on it and touch wood - I'm touching my head - I'll be all right," he told BBC Sport, adding that the closing stages of the Trent Bridge Test had been extremely frustrating. "I wanted to be out on the field with the boys. I felt pretty useless watching but it was very painful, I was struggling to walk and there was nothing I could have done."

If Jones fails to recover in time, England are likely to hand a debut to the Hampshire seamer, Chris Tremlett, who has been a member of the squad all summer. Other names in the frame include Paul Collingwood, who could shore up the middle-order batting and provide a few overs of medium pace, and James Anderson, who has shown some flickers of the form that deserted him over the winter.