Dean Jones, who pioneered an energetic style of ODI hitting, and the hero of Australia’s tied test against India in Chennai, died Thursday after a heart attack in Mumbai. He was 59 years old.
Jones, who was in India as a commentator for the IPL, is believed to have suffered a heart attack around noon IST. It is understood that Jones, who was on the comment panel for Wednesday’s match, had breakfast this morning and attended a pre-match briefing with colleagues. It is believed that he returned to his room and became ill there. Brett Lee administered CPR until doctors arrived, but was unable to revive Jones.
Remembered for his double century in the famous India-Australia tied event in Chennai, Jones played 52 events and 164 ODI. He was also part of Australia’s 1987 World Cup winning team. He carved out a career as a cricket coach and commentator after his retirement from all forms of cricket in 1997-98.
A precocious talent for Victoria, rudely guided by her father and Carlton Cricket Club legend Barney, Jones was introduced to the Australian side following the retirements of Greg Chappell and Dennis Lillee in the late summer of 1983-84, and became a creditable 48 against Allan Border in his debut against the fiery West Indies in Trinidad.
The selectors were careful with him thereafter, they didn’t want him to suffer too much at the hands of the same monster from the West Indies, and it wasn’t until the 1986 tour of India that he got a solid chance to seize.
Informed by Border that he would be pushed to third place in Chennai, Jones responded with the entries of his life: 210 in an unnerving heat that brought him to the brink of total physical collapse, setting Australia up for a memorable draw.
He was more or less a fixture on the test team from then until 1992, an integral part of their evolution from frequent humiliation to the cusp of global domination, taking off another double century against Viv Richards tourists in Adelaide in 1989, and then hitting the twin of tons against Pakistan in the same spot a year later.
At the same time, Jones was a pioneer in limited-limit cricket, as a hitting coach and cheerleader for big crowds, never more than at his beloved MCG. Somewhere along the way, his test returns began to lose consistency, prompting the selectors to make a still controversial call to knock him out of the team for the first Test against the West Indies at the Gabba in November 1992, a place in which he was never. recover.
Jones continued to be a vital part of the ODI organization for another two years, but his enthusiasm for the task diminished in direct correlation with the realization that under no circumstances, not even as a backup on the 1994 tour of South Africa, would he do so. try cricket again. Jones sadly retired from international cricket at the end of the tour, but in his typical pop box style he had rescinded the call for when his memoirs, My call, was on the shelves the following summer.
He continued to dominate the national ranks for Victoria, hitting his highest score of 324 against South Australia at MCG in a Sheffield Shield match day / night, and was in the starting squad for the 1996 World Cup before missing the cut. at the end. group that would lose to Sri Lanka in the final.
Upon his return, Mark Taylor’s team took on a World XI to celebrate 150 years of the Victoria Cricket Association, and Jones was on hand to compile one of his best shots, a challenging century on a day much more suitable for bowlers than for batters.
Before finishing, Jones also played for Derbyshire, and one of his final acts was missing a catch in a game on the 1997 Ashes tour that may well have caused Taylor to give up the captaincy amid his long series of outs.
He was the head coach of the Pakistan Super League franchise Islamabad United from 2015 to 2019. He also served as the interim head coach of the Afghanistan national team briefly in 2017.
Although he is well loved and highly regarded throughout the commentary world, his television career was not without controversy. In 2006, he referred to Hashim Amla as “the terrorist” on live television; Although he was not commenting at the time, his comment was caught on the microphone. He was immediately fired from the commentary team and, while waiting for his flight out of Colombo, issued a statement of regret.
In a statement, Earl Eddings, President of Cricket Australia, said: “Dean Jones was a hero to a generation of cricketers and will always be remembered as a legend of this great game. Anyone who watched cricket in the 1980s and 1990 will fondly remember his arrogant focus on the fold and the incredible energy and passion he brought to every game he played.
“Although remembered by many for his brilliance in the 1950s game, possibly Jones’ greatest moment on the national team came in scorching conditions in Chennai in 1986, where his selfless and courageous 210 innings helped Australia achieve a famous draw against India.
“Jones remained an immensely popular figure in Australian and Victorian cricket throughout his life and was a beloved columnist and commentator in all corners of the cricket world.
“This is a truly sad day. Deano’s loss will be felt not only at home in Australia, but around the world. Our thoughts and best wishes go out to his wife Jane and daughters Isabella and Phoebe.
Current Australia men’s head coach Justin Langer said: “What a great player and a great guy. We are shocked and very sad to hear of his passing.
“Deano was a true legend of Australian sport and world cricket, one of the great players and personalities in a golden age for the game. His role in the team’s victory at the 1987 World Cup and the 1989 Ashes under AB They were a huge turning point for Australian Cricket. Their double century in Madras was one of the biggest and bravest innings of all time.
We can only hope the Australians are as proud of our team as they were of Deano. The game and millions of people around the world will miss it. Our love for Jane and the girls. “
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