Jones starts Hants comeback bid

New Hampshire signing Simon Jones has refused to set a domestic comeback date for his new county.

The former England paceman started a rehab programme this week after missing the 2009 season with a knee injury.

Jones has undergone five operations on his knee and suffered two micro fractures since helping England win the Ashes in 2005.

He told BBC Radio Solent: "I'm not going to set a date because that's when things generally don't happen."

Jones is hopeful of regaining his fitness for the start of the 2010 season though.

He added: "You can't predict how well things are going to go so we're just going to play it by ear at the moment, and obviously be patient and careful and take things nice and slowly, and build the knee up slowly and things will be fine."

Jones was released by Worcestershire in July with nearly one year of his contract remaining.

The 30-year-old is adamant that bad luck has played a major part with his injury setbacks.

"The slide in Australia, no-one had told us not to slide in the outfield. If someone had told us not to slide because of the sand base then I wouldn't have done it. That took me back two years," he said.

"The guys in India didn't fill the foot holes in. It's out of my hands; you have to learn to control the controllables."

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