Simon Jones' inswinger to Michael Clarke at Old Trafford in the fabled 2005 Ashes series remains one of cricket’s most exquisite moments of deception. While other deliveries may have been more influential in determining the course of a match, few have embodied the sheer theatricality and devastating artistry of fast bowling quite like this one. It was not just a great ball—it was a moment of pure cricketing alchemy, a blend of meticulous setup, perfect execution, and dramatic aftermath.
What elevates this delivery above so many others is how Clarke was outthought and undone before the ball had even completed its journey. Most iconic dismissals in cricket hinge on a batsman playing the correct shot only for late deviation to betray them at the final moment. Here, however, the illusion was crafted much earlier. Clarke had been conditioned by a sequence of away-swingers, each reinforcing the pattern of movement he had come to expect. By the time Jones unleashed his masterpiece, the Australian was already committed to an ill-fated decision, his hands high, wrists cocked, awaiting the anticipated outswing.
But the ball had other ideas. Jones, concealing his intention with the finesse of a seasoned illusionist, had subtly flipped the rough side of the ball, reversing the conventional swing pattern. Instead of veering away, the delivery tailed back in viciously, breaching the gate with surgical precision and rattling the off stump. The effect was immediate and devastating. Clarke, barely able to mouth the words "Oh no!" as realization dawned, had been comprehensively undone—his defences dismantled not by brute force, but by pure guile.
The moment was accentuated by its auditory elements—the unmistakable sound of ball crashing into wood, a note of finality that seemed richer and more sonorous than usual. The Old Trafford crowd, already fervent, erupted with a collective roar, a rising crescendo of awe and celebration. And then there was Mark Nicholas, distilling the spectacle into a four-word commentary that would etch itself into Ashes folklore:
"That. Is. Very. Good."
If ever a phrase encapsulated the essence of fast-bowling mastery, this was it. Succinct yet loaded with admiration, Nicholas’ words framed the delivery not merely as an act of dismissal, but as a moment of pure cricketing beauty.
Beyond its aesthetic perfection, however, Jones' delivery also carried deeper ramifications. Though it was not the decisive moment in the match—Ponting’s valiant resistance ensured that Australia lived to fight another day—it signalled a fundamental shift in the psychological battle. Just as Shane Warne’s Ball of the Century in 1993 had shattered England’s self-belief, Jones’ sorcery in 2005 sowed the first seeds of doubt in Australian minds. The aura of invincibility that had surrounded the all-conquering Australians for over a decade began to fracture.
The true weight of such moments in sport is rarely measured in runs or wickets alone. They exist in the way they alter momentum, shape belief, and hint at the shifting tides of an era. In hindsight, this ball was one such moment—a portent of Australia’s loosening grip on the Ashes, a contest that, after 16 years of English suffering, was finally tilting the other way.
For Simon Jones, it was a fleeting yet glorious reminder of what might have been. His body, cruelly uncooperative, would fail him before the series was done, cutting short a career that promised so much. But for those who witnessed that inswinging thunderbolt, he remains frozen in time—a bowler at the peak of his powers, conjuring one of cricket’s most unforgettable moments of skill, deception, and sheer sporting theatre.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
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