Simon Jones joins Worcestershire

Simon Jones has signed with Worcestershire for two years © Getty Images

Worcestershire have confirmed the signing of Simon Jones, the England fast bowler, on a two-year contract.

Jones has played only a handful of games since helping England win the Ashes in 2005, and while Glamorgan had offered him a new contract, he had been linked with several other counties over the last couple of months.

"This has the potential of being the club's biggest signing since the days of [Ian] Botham and [Graham] Dilley. He [Jones] is a proven strike bowler with the ability to reverse swing the ball very effectively," Worcestershire's director of cricket Steve Rhodes said. "He has proved himself at the highest level but what has impressed me most during our discussions is his overwhelming desire to regain his England place. We always try to sign players who are motivated to perform consistently well and Simon clearly fulfils this criteria."

"I am really excited about joining Worcestershire and I'm sure I will fit in well with the rest of the squad having toured with Gareth Batty, Vikram Solanki and Kabir Ali in previous years," Jones said. "I know most of the players in the team and I am focused on helping the club secure more titles next year."

Jones, who played only four Championship matches last season and lost his central contract with England in September, will not come cheap and it is reported that he went through vigorous fitness tests before Worcestershire put pen to paper. There is, however, still no guarantee over how much he will be able to play for the county.