The Pacific islands nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) may boast a number of white sand pristine beaches and some exotic ranges of flora and fauna. But when it comes to the world of sport, the happy-go-lucky people who have the tiny nation often find themselves in the list of obscurity and oblivion.

Situated close to Australia, the Oceanic nation's sports scene is mostly dominated by rugby league as many of the islanders play Down Under. The magnificently culturally-diverse nation situated in the heart of the Pacific Ring of Fire hasn't made any earth-shattering mark globally in sports like soccer, rugby union and basketball. There are, probably, more active volcanoes and patches of coral reefs than the number of sportspersons who represent the country at international level.

But there is one man who is standing tall among all the people born in PNG. Geraint Jones. Yes, you have read it right. The former England wicket-keeper is probably the only exception as he went on to become an internationally-known Test cricketer.

Born in the town of Kundiawa in the island, Jones left for Australia with his Welsh-origin parents at an early age. He grew up there before playing English county cricket for Kent. A successful stint with the county saw him making his Test debut as the number one glove-man for England against the West Indies in 2004. A couple of months later, as a regular keeper for his side, Jones made his debut in the shorter one-day international (ODI) version of the game. The highest point in his career came when he played a stellar role in England's historic Ashes win in 2005. His spectacular diving catch down the leg side off Michael Kasprowicz off a Steve Harmison delivery not only clinched his side a series-equaling Test win at Edgbaston of England but set the tone for a glorious series-winning performance by the English side, led by Michael Vaughan against Ricky Ponting's all-conquering Australia.

Injuries and the emergence of a slew of other top-class wicket-keepers saw Jones falling out of favor by the end of 2006. His England career was over in that year's Ashes even though he set the new world record for playing the most number of Test innings without having been dismissed on naught. Ironically, in his last Test against Australia at Perth, Jones scored a pair of ducks (zero).

A few years later, Jones returned to play for his country of birth as he made his debut for the PNG cricket team in the World T20 qualifiers in the UAE in 2012. The island nation is not a Test playing country or a top-tier nation,  but the cricketing influence as a Commonwealth country helped to catapult themselves to the second tier or the "also-rans" in world cricket. Jones' presence didn't help them much though even he guided the minnows to a few wins against some of the other ICC associate countries. More importantly, he helped PNG achieve ODI and T20 status and made his ODI debut against Hong Kong in 2014.

The 34-Test veteran, who played just about 50-odd ODIs, hung up his bat thereafter and still has remained the most well-known sportsperson to appear for the country.