Geraint Jones on the One-Day Cup final and his retirement

Geraint Jones will call time on his playing career after Gloucestershire's clash with Surrey in Saturday's Royal London One-Day Cup final at Lord's.

Jones, who played 34 Tests and 51 ODIs for England, will lead Gloucester out onto the field this weekend as the West Country outfit plot to win their first trophy since 2004.

Ahead of the contest, which you can watch live on Sky Sports 2 from 10am, we caught up with Jones to discuss Gloucestershire's title tilt, his impending retirement, and his highlights playing for his country…

Live Royal London One-Day Cup Cricket

Hi Geraint, how are you feeling as you approach your final game as a professional cricketer?

GERAINT JONES: I'm pretty excited, to be honest with you. My feelings may change slightly as the game edges closer and it really dawns on me that this is it for me as a cricketer but at the moment I can't wait for the game.

I guess there's no better place to finish than at Lord's?

GJ: I've been really lucky with the way it's panned out. It will also be a huge honour to lead the side out onto the field and it's a really nice gesture from our captain Maxy (Michael Klinger) to let me do it. Hopefully when we all walk off at the end of the day it's with the trophy.

Did you have to "um" and "ah" over your decision to retire or was it pretty straightforward?

GJ: It just all felt right, really. The hardest thing was working out when to speak to the coach, Richard Dawson, and let him know. It became pretty evident to me during the middle part of the summer that the time was right.

"They are a young group who have come through together and have a real desire to win for each other. I have also been impressed by their confidence no matter what the game situation."

What will you take from your one-season stint at Gloucestershire?

GJ: This summer has been fantastic and something I have really enjoyed. If I think back 12 months ago when I was told my contract at Kent wouldn't be renewed and I wasn't sure what I'd be doing, then to get the opportunity to go to Gloucester and play with a great group of guys, as well as work with Richard and Ian Harvey, has been brilliant. I look back at this year with great fondness.

What have been the keys to your side making the One-Day Cup final?

GJ: Definitely the group of lads we have. They are a young group who have come through together and have a real desire to win for each other. I have also been impressed by their confidence no matter what the game situation; no match is ever lost as far as they are concerned, which is a really refreshing attitude. Then you can add in some excellent performances from the senior guys, like Maxy and Hamish Marshall, and even the fact that I have scored a few runs. The mix has been really good.

You mention Klinger there. He has been in golden touch all summer, hasn't he?

GJ: I've never seen anyone play like this for so long. His consistency throughout the season, right from the start of the T20 Blast, has been incredible, and one last push would be unreal.

Gloucester's one-day pedigree in the late 1990s and early 2000s is well-documented. Is that still talked about around the club?

GJ: Certainly. This side will have grown up watching that success, I know that I did. I remember sitting in the crowd as Gloucester beat Glamorgan in the Benson & Hedges Cup Final in 2000 during a period when the club seemed to get to every one-day final. It's great to feel that buzz around the place again.

You'll be tagged as the underdogs going into Saturday's game with Surrey. Does that bother you?

GJ: We're not bothered whether we are underdogs or favourites but it's probably right that the bookies are going with Surrey. They have had a fantastic year, putting together a hungry and talented young group with some quality senior players around, too. But a big factor for us is that we know what they are all about having played against them a few times this summer. That means we know what we are up against.

Will your young bowlers relish pitting their wits against Kumar Sangakkara?

GJ: Of course. Kumar's knock in the semi-final [a 166 versus Nottinghamshire] was special and his form in 50-over cricket in the last 12 months has been unbelievable. He is the wicket we want early, much like Surrey will want to see the back of Maxy. Hopefully one of our young guys can produce a magic ball to Kumar.

If Gloucestershire do win on Saturday, where will it rank in your career achievements?

GJ: It will be up there, for sure. I've been really lucky to win Ashes Tests and an Ashes series and the T20 tournament with Kent in 2007, but this would be among those triumphs.

It's been 10 years since you were part of England's 2005 Ashes win. Did the memories come flooding back as you watched the boys regain the urn this summer?

GJ: Definitely. I had lots of people coming up to me and talking about two of the catches I took back then, the one at Edgbaston as well as the one at Old Trafford when the ball bounced off Andrew Strauss. I remember the Edgbaston one very clearly, purely because of what it meant, and that probably pips it for me, but the Old Trafford catch is memorable as that sort of thing doesn't happen very often.

Did you ever anticipate having the career you've had?

GJ: I couldn't have even dreamed of it. Having grown up in Australia and not come over to England permanently until my early twenties but then play for 16 years and get international recognition has been amazing. I have loved every minute of it.

Have you enjoyed watching a new and vibrant England perform over recent months?

GJ: It's what the public have been crying out for. It is a huge change from the World Cup and how they have been able to transform so quickly has been phenomenal. It looks like the boys are having so much fun and enjoying each other's company and that is translating out in the middle. As a fan, that's what I love to see.

"Cricket is what I know and love so I need to stay in the game."

And, just finally, what's next for you after you leave Gloucestershire?

GJ: I have got a job at Brentwood School in Essex as their new cricket coach, a position I take up in early November. I also want to be involved with the Kent youth programme across the different age groups, something I have done for a few winters now. Cricket is what I know and love so I need to stay in the game.

Watch the Royal London One-Day Cup Final between Gloucestershire and Surrey from 10am on Saturday, Sky Sports 2. You can also catch the game with a NOW TV Day Pass.

England's tour of the UAE to play Pakistan is live on Sky Sports, starting with the opening Test, in Abu Dhabi, on Tuesday, October 13.