Jones was one of the stars of England's 2005 Ashes winning team

Hampshire bowler Simon Jones has targeted a comeback this season after more than a year out of the game.

A serious knee injury has kept the former England Ashes hero sidelined since August 2008.

But after a couple of recent outings for the Hampshire 2nd XI, the 31-year-old is optimistic of a return in the current T20 campaign.

Jones told BBC Radio Solent: "I'll play another couple of games. When Andrew Nealon tells me I'm ready, I'm ready".

The last time Jones appeared in a first-class fixture was for his former county Worcestershire against Hampshire in May 2008.

A succession of injuries have hampered the career of the Swansea-born player, after his heroics in the 2005 Ashes series were rewarded with an MBE.

However, expectancy has risen that his latest return is imminent.

"I want to play. I'm going to do a bit more agility work because T20 is such a hard game running around for an hour and a quarter.

"It's a little bit different from the three-day stuff."

Hampshire have 14 matches to play in the Friends Provident T20 South Group, between now and mid-July.

The Royals face the Somerset Sabres at the Rose Bowl on Friday night.

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