The Ashes: Pietersen Confident of Jones' Recovery

Kevin Pietersen yesterday gave the most positive indication yet that Simon Jones' oxygen chamber treatment is working and that the Glamorgan pace bowler's ankle will be fit for the final Ashes Test next Thursday.

The news will come as a blow to Pietersen's Hampshire team-mate in today's C&G final, Chris Tremlett, but England's most flamboyant batsman could not have been more positive: "He's getting on very well, really well," said Pietersen. "I spoke to him about an hour ago and I think Joner will play. He seems very confident and very positive."

Immediately after the Trent Bridge Test the England coach Duncan Fletcher expressed considerable doubts about Jones, whose 18 wickets have been central to the home pace bowlers' stranglehold on the series. The selector Geoff Miller was immediately dispatched to watch likely replacements, such as Tremlett and James Anderson, in county matches.

But Jones has been having regular sessions in a hyperbaric chamber, where recovery from injury is accelerated by increased levels of oxygen in the chamber's atmosphere. He has also seen specialists and Pietersen's remarks confirm the confidence shown earlier this week by the England bowling coach Troy Cooley.

The squad for the Oval Test will be named tomorrow, with Paul Collingwood a possible addition to the usual 12 suspects because of the doubts over Jones. But England are extremely keen to retain the same XI for the entire Ashes series - the first time they will have done this since 1884-85 - and will give Jones every chance to prove himself.

Pietersen was also dismissive of the protests by the Australia captain Ricky Ponting about England's use of substitutes. "I obviously heard him swearing and going nuts when he walked off [after being run out by England's substitute fielder at Trent Bridge]. I can laugh about it because in Manchester I was caught on the boundary by Brad Hodge off Brett Lee and he was fielding substitute for Michael Clarke."

However, he refused to criticise Ponting. "He's a fellow professional, so I'm not going to sit here and say he's losing it. The bloke averages 50 in international cricket. He's a great player and I respect the bloke because he is a great player. I won't say a bad word about any Australian player or any fellow professional."

And, like Ian Bell on Thursday, Pietersen was unfazed by the possible return of Glenn McGrath: "McGrath played at Old Trafford and we seemed to do OK," said Pietersen.

Probable squad: Vaughan (capt), Trescothick, Strauss, Bell, Pietersen, Flintoff, G Jones, Giles, Hoggard, Harmison, S Jones, Tremlett, Collingwood.