Former Glamorgan batsman Alan Jones awarded with England cap

Former Glamorgan batsman Alan Jones on Wednesday was awarded an England Test cap, 50 years to the day since he made his only appearance for the country in the first match of the 1970 series against the Rest of the World XI.

London [UK], June 17 (ANI):Former Glamorgan batsman Alan Jones on Wednesday was awarded an England Test cap, 50 years to the day since he made his only appearance for the country in the first match of the 1970 series against the Rest of the World XI. At the time the matches in the series were classed as Tests but were subsequently downgraded by the ICC, meaning Jones's status as an England international was lost.

However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has now awarded Jones with cap number 696 - the next available number, following Zak Crawley's debut in November 2019 - through a virtual ceremony. Among those joining ECB Chair Colin Graves on the video call to make the presentations were England Men's Test captain Joe Root and Glamorgan CEO Hugh Morris, as well as former England captain, and Jones's county teammate, Tony Lewis.

"Hearing and reading about Alan's achievements in cricket has been inspiring, so it's a great honour to have been part of his celebration today. Being selected to represent your country is a huge moment in any cricketer's career, and while Alan's time in the team was brief, I hope he has retained fond memories of the match over the last 50 years," England Test skipper Joe Root said in an official statement. "The cap makes you part of a very special family and I hope it's not too long before we can welcome Alan to an England match to congratulate him in person," he added.

Jones holds the record for scoring the most runs in first-class cricket without playing in an official Test match, with his tally of 36,049 ranking 35th highest of all time. Following his 26-year playing career, in which he also made appearances for Natal, Northern Transvaal, and Western Australia, Jones later coached Glamorgan to glory in the AXA Equity and Law League in 1993 and was Director of Cricket when the Welsh side won the County Championship in 1997.

His Glamorgan connection continued when he was named President in 2016, holding the position until 2019. (ANI)

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