Cricket: The Ashes: GER-EAT STUFF! Under-fire Jones is the hero.

Byline: Mike Walters CRICKET CORRESPONDENT

LAST-GASP England hero Geraint Jones revealed how the winning catch silenced a knot of his noisiest critics - the Aussie fans who were taunting his glove-work.

Fair dinkum boyo Jones, the Welshman born in Papua New Guinea and reared in Australia, admitted he lost it in the "mayhem'' of England's celebrations after the two-run win at Edgbaston.

Jones, who copped a pair of brutal deliveries with the bat when he was fighting to keep his place, finally had something to shout about when he snaffled the controversial diving catch to end tail-ender Mike Kasprowicz's courageous resistance.

Although he forgot to keep the match ball as a souvenir from the most dramatic Test finish of all time, Jones had the satisfaction of muzzling the yellow peril enclosure at the City end, just as they were clearing their throats to acclaim Australia going 2-0 up.

Team-mate Kevin Pietersen hoisted him into the air like a footballer lifting the FA Cup, and the Kent stumper repeatedly fisted the air in the general direction of his Oz detractors. Jones said: "There was a big release of emotion after such a tense morning, and it was a great feeling when that catch went in - all the emotions came flooding out.

"I had been getting a lot of verbals off the Aussie guys behind me, and when the umpire starting nodding that Kasprowicz was out I just lost it.

"These guys have developed a chant about me which involves them flapping their arms as if you are missing the ball, and I find it quite amusing.

"So when that catch came down the leg side and I managed to wrap my gloves around it, I couldn't help myself in all the celebrations. It was mayhem.

"So far I haven't noticed too many comments about my Aussie background out in the middle, but that's probably because I haven't been batting for long enough to notice any!

"When it was down to three runs needed to win, it was imperative that if any chance came my way I got to it and managed to hold on to it with anything I could.

"We could hear the Aussie supporters counting down the runs, and in the end it was so close one ball could have produced a different result.

"The last 10 days have been a bit of a roller-coaster for me because I had a tough week after we lost at Lord's, so it's nice to go away from here with a special feeling."

Jones, whose father Emrys had flown in from his home in Queensland to be at the most incredible match in 128 years of Test cricket, admitted he had feared for his England place.

One momentous catch is unlikely to earn him any more breathing space with the selectors, but Chris Read - his nearest rival for the England gloves - is injured and Jones added: "I have been given a lot of support by our coach Duncan Fletcher and the rest of the team.

"Behind those dressing-room doors I know there's a lot of support for me, but I'm still a bit nervous whenever the selectors name a Test squad because you can't take anything for granted.

"It would have been horrible to lose, and I'm sure dad's been on the phone to a few people in Australia already. He's even managed to recruit a few Aussies friends on to our side, which is fantastic."

In the memorabilia stampede, Jones lost out to umpire Billy Bowden, the man who gave Kasprowicz out, in the scramble for the match ball as a souvenir.

He said: "I think the umpire must have caught me when I wasn't thinking straight.''