Veteran cricketer, aged 81, finally gets an England cap after 50-year gap

London - Alan Jones played for England against the Rest of the World in 1970, a game later stripped of its Test status.

Former Glamorgan batsman Alan Jones was on Wednesday awarded an England Test cap, 50 years to the day since he made his only appearance for England 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 International Cricket Council (ICC), meaning Jones's status as an England international was lost.
However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has awarded Jones with cap number 696 - the next available number, following Zak Crawley's debut in November 2019 - through a virtual ceremony this morning, said ECB in a media release.
ECB Chair Colin Graves said: "Alan's achievements on and off the cricket field are something to be celebrated, so I'm delighted that we can mark the 50th anniversary of his England appearance in this way.
"While the record books may not show Alan as a capped international cricketer, the ECB wanted to recognise his England appearance and celebrate his remarkable career as a player, coach and administrator by awarding him England cap number 696.
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.
He was a key part of Glamorgan's title-winning side of 1969 and was named among Wisden's five Cricketers of the Year in 1978. He captained the county for two seasons in the late 70s, leading his side to the Gillette Cup final in 1977.
England Test captain Joe Root said: "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."
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 & 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.