The International Cricket Council (ICC) has expressed grief at the passing of former Australia international Dean Jones.
On Thursday, Jones – who was part of the Star Sports commentary panel for the 13th Indian Premier League (IPL) edition being held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) – died in Mumbai after suffering a cardiac arrest.
“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,” ICC Chief Executive Manu Sawhney said in a statement.
“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,” he added.
He featured in 52 Tests, scoring 3,631 runs at an average of 46.55. In 164 ODIs, he made 6,068 runs, at 44.61, with seven hundred and 46 fifties.
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.
That was just his third Test, coming two years after his debut against West Indies in 1984. With plenty to prove, he came out at No.3, and stayed in the middle for 330 minutes, despite being sick on the field and finding himself in hospital at the end of the knock. Incidentally, he was sick the night before his Test debut too and called the 48 he made in his first innings on a difficult pitch one his best knocks.
He retired from international cricket in 1994 and after that, he pursued an interest in golf. He went on to coach New Zealand, Afghanistan, and teams in leagues in Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. He was also was a regular in commentary boxes around the world.
