Jaques loses weight to gain promotion

Phil Jaques, who has played two Tests over the past ten months, has taken criticism of his fielding to heart and worked hard in the winter to push his claims for an Ashes spot. Jaques, a prolific batsman for New South Wales, was stung by criticism last year from Trevor Hohns, the former selection chairman, that fielding was a key factor in his original omission from the South African touring party in March.

He was later flown in at the 11th hour for a one-day international against South Africa in Cape Town, dismissed for a duck, then departed for Australia. Hohns' criticism spurred Jaques to shed weight in the off-season.

"If you lose a couple of kilos you're going to be more agile and hopefully that will translate into fielding and running between the wickets," he said in the Sydney Morning Herald. "I'm feeling really fit."

Jaques said his personal experiences from the past 12 months - he scored four domestic one-day centuries and a 94 on ODI debut for Australia which had critics pushing for him instead of Simon Katich - would stand him in good stead if another national call-up came this season.

"It was a massive eye-opener," he said. "I feel like I learned a lot from last year about what I need to do to stay up. I was ecstatic to be picked for Australia.

"It wasn't always ideal preparation, flying halfway around the world, getting a couple hours' sleep and playing jet-lagged, but that happens in professional sport. You've got to do the best you can." Jaques, 27, carries a British passport and was picked for his Test debut at the MCG against South Africa before appearing in a second match in Bangladesh.