Mel Jones will ring the bell to signal five minutes until the start of play on day four of the Specsavers Test Match between England and Australia at Lord’s.

The former Australian international, who played for her country between 1997 and 2005, has in recent years become a familiar voice in the commentary box, thanks to her stints in Australian broadcasting, at the Indian Premier League, and at this year’s ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.

Jones won the women’s World Cup twice with Australia, in 1997 and 2005, and also played in two Ashes-winning sides. She played five Tests for Australia scoring 251 runs including 131 against England on debut in 1998.The 2005 World Cup final was her final One-Day International, in which Australia defeated India by 98 runs. She retired with 61 ODIs to her name, in which she made over 1,000 runs, and as the third-highest run-scorer in Australia’s Women’s National Cricket League.

Off the field, her work to promote health initiatives in Indigenous communities, combined with her service to cricket, earned her the Medal of the Order of Australia earlier this year.

The Five-Minute Bell

The ringing of the five-minute bell at a Lord’s Test by an international cricketer, administrator or well-known enthusiast of the sport is a recent tradition introduced in 2007.

The bell, which is located outside the Bowlers’ Bar of the Lord’s Pavilion, is rung to signify the imminent start of play, and it has become a great honour to be invited to ring it on the morning of a Test match.