The first thing anyone asks me when I mention I’ve interviewed Simon Jones is always ‘Is he fit?’  - and I know that their meaning is quite different depending on whether it’s a man asking the question, or a woman.

The latest addition to the Hampshire squad is well aware of his cricket-star status and the responsibilities it brings. “A guy stopped me the other day and said he’d renewed his membership because I’d signed! It was really nice, but I thought, it’s a lot of pressure as well! The fame thing is hard, but I just want to play. As a professional, any sport you play you’ve got to take what comes with it as well. I don’t know how people like David Beckham deal with it, day to day, because he hasn’t got an ordinary life, has he? So when it comes to us just playing cricket it should be a piece of cake. You’re paid to play cricket and if you’re not doing as well as you should then you should look at yourself a bit harder and try a bit harder.”

A great deal has been written about the nature of Simon’s contract with Hampshire, but the reality is that it’s very simple. “It’s basically pay as you play,” he tells me, “but I’ve got a retainer as well so I get bonuses on top. When I was released by Worcester I was aware this was what would happen – my injury record over the last couple of years has been a bit of a nightmare and it has been hard, but cricket’s a business at the end of the day, and if I’m fit and on the field I’ll be doing well this summer.

“Rod’s got a lot of belief in me and I wanted to come here a couple of years ago but it didn’t happen. I thoroughly enjoyed Worcester though – they’re a great bunch of lads.” As well as Hampshire, his native Glamorgan’s interest in Simon has been well publicised – was it ever likely to happen? “There’s always chances of going back home but I weighed up the pros and cons and had a chat with Hampshire’s physio, Andrew Nealon, and everything he said made sense. His plans for me were outstanding. Sometimes change is very healthy; I found that at Worcester – my first year was very good – I didn’t feel as much part of the furniture as I did after 13 years at Glamorgan so it pulled me out of my comfort zone.”

Along with many Hampshire fans I have a clear (and somewhat bitter) memory of Simon visiting with Worcester early in the 2008 Friends Provident Trophy campaign and delivering an incredible spell of bowling that blew our top order away. Simon remembers it too. “I had 2 for 6 off five, I think. It was a nice day until we fielded second and the dew came down and it was freezing cold – you could see your breath coming out. We were glad to get off the field; we didn’t win that game but I proved a few doubters wrong that night – I got back up to 92 miles an hour. In a way I quite enjoy people doubting me because it’s very much sweeter when I prove them wrong.”

There is actually a limit to how long I can delay the most important question – the one I am almost scared to ask: how is ‘that knee’ at the moment? Simon fingers it a bit nervously, but he is upbeat. “It’s feeling very good, touch wood” he tells me. “I’ve been working hard with Brunchy and training six days a week, four or five hours a day, so it’s going really well at the moment. There’s remedial stuff I have to do with regards to my glute work and core strength to get everything as stable as we can around the knee so that there’s less pressure being put through it. It’s different training to what I’ve done before and I’m enjoying it. As to when I start bowling I’m just going to have to play it by ear and listen to Brunchy. We’ll just take each day as it comes and we’re not going to push anything too early – we’ve got plenty of time before the season starts and a lot of remedial work to get through first. Maybe after Christmas I’ll pick up the pace a bit and start running, but we’re in no hurry.

“Andrew’s come up with a plan that next season I’m going to play but they’ll break me in gently. Then the second and third years are when I’ll really hit my straps and start bowling like I will and I can. Obviously next year I’ll play as much as I can, but we’ll have to be a little bit patient and let the knee rest between games; it’s not a race – the biggest thing for me is that if I can get back playing I’m happy. A lot of people ask me about England but I’m not even thinking about that – I just want to play again – play for Hampshire – and bring a lot more success here as well. The management here are second to none from what I’ve seen so far and that makes me really optimistic about this summer.

“The strength and depth of our bowling squad is a key to success. There’s no bowler I know that can play all season – especially if you’re bowling 85 to 90 miles an hour. It’s physically impossible with the way the programmes are now – the fixtures are relentless – it looks like they’re designed to try and break you! But at Hampshire we’ve got a good young squad; David Griffiths is a big prospect – I’ve watched him a few times – then you’ve got Tomlinson, Tremlett – a fine bowler who’s had his injury problems as well. It doesn’t help, him being six foot eight; he’s the biggest man I’ve ever seen! I think it’s going to help me that they’ve signed Mendis – they’re going to be producing some dry tracks which will help with reverse swing. I’ll get a chance to work with some of the younger lads in the side with the older ball, and hopefully I can help them to add another dimension to their game.”

But do his injuries mean that Simon will have to change the way he bowls? The answer is an unequivocal no. “My action’s not the reason why my knee’s been so bad” he explains. “I originally did it in 2006 with England in India. There were some big foot holes on the pitch and the groundsman just didn’t bother filling them in. They were a good four inches deep and unfortunately I landed on the edge of one and the knee just buckled in. I carried on playing but the damage was done and it was just a matter of time before the knee gave way. You think you’ll be alright so you just get on with it, but it comes back to bite you on the bum.”

The move south means Simon relocating his young family yet again. “Myself and Justine have been together four years now and I think we’ve moved three times! It’s interesting,” he laughs. “They say it’s one of the most stressful things you can do, but we’re still together so things must be alright! But we had a really nice night on Sunday with Rod, and Giles White and his family, Andrew Nealon and his – and Dimi was there as well. That’s the way Rod works I think – he’s very family oriented and he wants people to feel at home, because if someone’s happy they work harder and it makes life a lot easier.”
 

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