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Jones plays down Sarwan spat

Simon Cambers | March 23, 2004 11:00 IST

England fast bowler Simon Jones played down his spat with West Indies batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan after his five-wicket haul took the tourists to the brink of victory in the second Test in Port of Spain, Trinidad on Monday.

Jones, who took a career-best five for 57 as West Indies were bowled out for 209 in their second innings, said he had simply been guilty of over-exuberance when celebrating Sarwan's dismissal.

"The umpires had a couple of words and I apologised for what happened," Jones said. "Obviously, I got a little over-excited but there was nothing malicious there."

Jones waved his fist close to Sarwan after trapping him leg before wicket for 13 before his team mate Mark Butcher pulled him away. He will learn on Tuesday whether he is to be punished under the International Cricket Council's Code of Conduct.

Simon Jones (right) screams at Ramnaresh Sarwan after taking his wicket"I didn't say anything to him," Jones said. "There's no hard feelings with Sarwan. I was very annoyed with myself for the first ball I bowled him, a rank half-volley, and was just excited to get his wicket."

Jones suffered a serious knee injury during a Test match against Australia in November 2002, keeping him out of cricket for 16 months before he made his comeback in the first Test of the current series in Jamaica in which he took three wickets.

"Today was the first time on tour that I have felt really good," he said. "I tried to relax and that helped a lot. I was way too tense in the first Test.

"I think we (the bowlers) are working really well as a unit. We are all confident and you can see that from the way the guys batted tonight.

England ended the day on 71 for two in their second innings, just 28 runs short of a second successive victory, which would leave them 2-0 up in the four-match series and on course to complete their first win in the Caribbean for 36 years.

"It would have been nice to knock off (the remaining runs) tonight but we just need another 30 or so and, hopefully, we can celebrate tomorrow," Jones said.


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