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Former Australian cricketer and of the so-called revolutionaries of the modern ODI game Dean Jones passed away on Thursday. The 59-year-old was working on the IPL 2020 broadcast from a studio in Mumbai, suffered a cardiac arrest. He has left behind his wife Jane and two daughters Isabella and Phoebe.

Jones was a player and possessed a magnetic personality and was a crucial part of the Australian team in the mid-80s, which saw the Allan Border-led side capture its maiden World Cup title at the Eden Gardens in 1987. Jones featured 164 times in the 50-over format and ended his career with 6068 runs at an excellent average of 44.61.

However, Jones was not only influential in the limited-over game. He also played 52 Tests for Australia and one of his most cherishable innings was a 48 on debut against a robust West Indies side in the 1984 Port of Spain test. His 100+ partnership with Border was even more commendable as Dean was unwell in the morning of the game.

One more courageous display occurred after a couple of years when he played despite extreme dehydration as he reached his magnum opus 210 in a test match at Madras. He then expressed his skills in the Ashes series in 1989, scoring 566 runs and had the highest average in his last Test against Sri Lanka in 1992.

Dean Jones
Dean Jones (Image Credits: Cricketlounge)

His Test career concluded with 3631 runs at an average of 46.55 including 11 tons. He also scored 19188 first-class runs at 51.85 with a best of 324* against South Australia in the 1994-95 season. However, that was not the end of Jones. He then commenced his commentating career. He was also hailed as ‘The Professor’ especially in the Indian sub-continent for his bold depiction of numbers and analysis.

His contract came under threat when it was terminated in 2006 as Jones was guilty of passing a racist remark, while on air. While expressing his grief, Cricket Australia chairman Earl Eddings spoke about the 2019 inductee to the Australian cricket hall of fame.

He said, “Dean Jones was a hero to a generation of cricketers and will forever be remembered as a legend of this great game. Anyone who watched cricket in the 1980s and 1990s will fondly recall his cavalier approach at the crease and the incredible energy and passion he brought to every game he played. Jones remained an immensely popular figure in Australian and Victorian cricket throughout his life and was a much-loved columnist and commentator in every corner of the cricketing world. This is a truly sad day. Deano’s loss will be felt not just at home in Australia but across the globe.”

featured image credits- CricketCountry