Mumbai
Former Australian batsman and a much beloved commentator and mentor of the game Dean Jones passed away in India on Thursday.
According to reports by Indian media, the 59-year-old suffered a sudden cardiac arrest in Mumbai, where he had been invited to work as a commentator during the Indian Premier League.
The Aussie great had served as head coach to the Pakistan Super League franchise Karachi Kings and previously as coach and mentor to winning side Islamabad United in 2016 and 2018.
Earlier this year, he won the hearts of millions of Pakistanis after a video of him cleaning the dugout after a PSL match between Peshawar Zalmi and Karachi Kings went viral.
The video shows Jones picking up water bottles and packets of crisps and depositing them in a nearby bin.
He was looking forward to visiting Pakistan for the remainder of the PSL 2020 and even said that all of his side’s foreign players were ready to do the same.
During his career as a batsman, he played 52 Tests and 164 One Day Internationals, according to ESPNcricinfo.
Jones was a part of the squad that won the 1987 World Cup. Following his retirement from all forms of cricket in 1997-98, he worked as a commentator and analyst, besides mentoring and coaching foreign teams.
The cricket legend was inducted into the International Cricket Council hall of fame in 2019. ‘A void impossible to fill’
Karachi Kings released a statement expressing “shock and despair” over his demise. “The community lost a true solider of the game passionately in love with the sport he both played and later went on to commentate on as well as coach; while the Karachi Kings have lost their guide, friend and motivator through the ordeals of the game both on and off the field,” the side said.
The team recognised Professor Deano, or just Deano to most who knew him, as “a World Cup winner, strong advocate of player’s rights and game development, extraordinary game commentator, avid golfer, champion coach, and a loving, committed family man”.
They said Jones “has left behind a void that will be impossible to ever fill”.
Paying tribute to his role as coach for the team, the statement said that even though he joined the Karachi Kings family just a year ago, “he embodied the fighting spirit and pursuit of excellence this team stands for, quickly becoming the bedrock of the values each member of the Karachi Kings family aspired to”.
“Deano is survived by his wife, Jane and two daughters, Isabella and Pheobe — and the whole Karachi Kings family. You will be missed, Coach!” it added.
‘Great ambassador of the game’
Separately, Star India issued a statement announcing his sudden death, remembering him as “one of the great ambassadors of the game associating himself with cricket development across South Asia”.
“He was passionate about discovering new talent and nurturing young cricketers,” said the statement.
“He was a champion commentator whose presence and presentation of the game always brought joy to millions of fans.
ICC expresses sadness
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed sadness at the passing of former Australia international Dean Jones at the age of 59.
In a statement, ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said: “We are extremely sad to hear of Dean’s sudden death and I would like to extend our deep condolences to his family and friends on behalf of the ICC.
“Dean was a prolific batter playing in 52 Tests and 164 ODIs and was part of the 1987 Australia team who won the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup.
He had a significant impact on the game of cricket as a player, as an advocate for the development of the sport as a coach and latterly in his role as a broadcaster. He will be sorely missed by all those in the cricket family.
“ An attacking batter, the Victorian featured in 52 Tests, making 3631 runs at an average of 46.55. In 164 ODIs, he made 6068 runs, at 44.61, with seven hundreds and 46 fifties.
He was part of Australia’s winning team in the 1987 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup and remains number five on the all-time MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Batting Rankings in the format.
One of his most memorable Test innings came in 1986, when in the heat and humidity of Chennai, he battled exhaustion and illness to make a heroic 210 in what would be only the second tied Test ever. He retired from international cricket in 1994 and went on to become a coach and more recently a broadcaster commentating on cricket around the world.—APP
