SIMON JONES is a big doubt for England’s opening npower Test match against Sri Lanka at Lord’s a week on Thursday after his latest comeback was aborted by another knee injury.

The fast bowler broke down at the start of a second spell during Glamorgan’s game with Ireland. Initial reports suggested that it was only a twinge, but alarm bells should ring because it is the same knee problem that forced him to fly home from India before the Test series in February.

Jones, 27, looked a forlorn figure trudging back to the pavilion at Sophia Gardens with Chris Towers, the Glamorgan physiotherapist, who said that there would be no definitive news on the injury until today.

“We will be liaising with the England medical staff, but it’s too early yet to make an assessment,” Towers said. “But it is the same knee he injured in India, although at the moment it looks only to be a twinge.”

Jones has been withdrawn from Glamorgan’s Liverpool Victoria County Championship second division match against Derbyshire that starts tomorrow, which would suggest that he is unlikely to be risked at Lord’s.

Jones had looked fit and strong during an opening spell of seven overs as he helped to reduce Ireland to 34 for three. He bowled accurately and with real pace, forcing Dominick Joyce to edge his first ball to second slip. His second wicket arrived in his fourth over, when he was too quick for Eoin Morgan.

So it came as a surprise when he broke down in his follow-through at the start of a new spell. He attempted a second ball but pulled up well short of the crease.

The injury to Jones was an obvious setback for Glamorgan, who struggled to quell another Irish rising after their famous win over Gloucestershire on Sunday. Not content with one victory — they see four out of nine C & G Trophy wins as a realistic target — Ireland pushed Glamorgan all the way.

Glamorgan posted a challenging 250 for nine from their 50 overs, but it should have been a lot more considering that Mark Cosgrove, their new overseas player, helped them to 125 for two in the eighteenth over.

Cosgrove, who made a big impression on his one-day international debut for Australia in Bangladesh on Friday, struck 75 from 51 balls. But Glamorgan’s hopes of getting beyond 300 were dashed by sloppy middle-order batting.

Ireland’s reply gained momentum through Shahid Afridi’s 41-ball fifty, but if Glamorgan thought that they were home and dry when the Pakistan all-rounder holed out to long-on, they were mistaken.

Peter Gillespie, in his 100th appearance for his country, and Kyle McCallan went close, but Alex Wharf and Andrew Davies shared the last five wickets as Ireland were bowled out with nine balls remaining.

• England’s injury problems continued to mount last night when it was discovered that James Anderson has a suspected stress fracture of the back. The 23-year-old Lancashire fast bowler will see a specialist today.