Dean Mervyn Jones (24 March 196124 September 2020) was an Australian
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
player, coach and commentator who played
Tests and
One Day Internationals (ODIs) for
Australia. He had an excellent record in Test cricket and is best remembered for revolutionising the ODI format. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was recognised as among the best ODI batsmen in the world, a view which has been validated in the retrospective
ICC Player Rankings. His batting was often characterised by his agile footwork against both pace and spin, quick running between wickets, and willingness to take risks and intimidate bowlers. In 2019, Jones was inducted into the
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the Australian Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This hall of fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time, ...
.
Domestic career
Jones began his
first-class career in the
1981–82 season with
Victoria
Victoria most commonly refers to:
* Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia
* Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada
* Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory
* Victoria, Seyche ...
in the
Sheffield Shield. Jones also played for
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
* County Durham, an English county
*Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
and
Derbyshire in the English
County Championship. Jones captained Derbyshire to second place in the
1996 County Championship
The 1996 Britannic Assurance County Championship was the 97th officially organised running of the County Championship. Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Mi ...
, their best finish for 60 years. Jones scored 1,338 runs in the season, more than any other Derbyshire player.
He left Derbyshire mid-season in 1997 after disagreements with teammates.
[ Jones also had run-ins with authority and teammates in his home state of Victoria. During his career, he scored 19,188 runs in first-class matches, including 55 centuries and 88 half centuries and a highest score of 324 ]not out
In cricket, a batter is not out if they come out to bat in an innings and have not been dismissed by the end of an innings. The batter is also ''not out'' while their innings is still in progress.
Occurrence
At least one batter is not out at th ...
, at an average of 51.85.
International career
Jones was selected on the 1984 tour of the West Indies after Graham Yallop
Graham Neil Yallop (born 7 October 1952) is a former Australian international cricketer. Yallop played Test and One Day International cricket for the Australia national cricket team between 1976 and 1984, captaining the side briefly during the ...
had to pull out due to injury. He was not picked in the original XI, but was drafted into the side after Steve Smith fell ill. Jones himself was very ill before the Test, and deemed his score of 48 on his debut as his "best knock". Between 1984 and 1992, Jones played 52 Test matches for Australia, scoring 3,631 runs, including 11 centuries, at an average of 46.55.[
His most notable innings was in only his third Test, against India in the Tied Test in ]Madras
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
(Chennai) in 1986
The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
**Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles.
** Spain and Portugal ent ...
. Suffering from dehydration in the oppressively hot and humid conditions, Jones was frequently vomiting on the pitch. He wanted to go off the field "retired ill" which led his captain Allan Border
Allan Robert Border (born 27 July 1955) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer. A batsman, Border was for many years the captain of the Australian team. His playing nickname was "A.B.". He played 156 Test ma ...
to say that if he could not handle the conditions, he would "get a Queenslander" (Greg Ritchie
Gregory Michael Ritchie (born 23 January 1960) is a former Australian international cricketer who played in 30 Tests matches and 44 One Day Internationals between 1982 and 1987.
Ritchie played for Queensland between 1980 and 1992. He scored ...
, a Queenslander like Border, was the next man in to bat). This comment spurred Jones to score 210, an innings he considered a defining moment in his career and one of the epic Test innings in Australian cricket folklore. This innings of 210 remains the highest score by an Australian cricketer in India. After the match, Jones was put on to an intravenous drip
Intravenous therapy (abbreviated as IV therapy) is a medical technique that administers fluids, medications and nutrients directly into a person's vein. The intravenous route of administration is commonly used for rehydration or to provide nutrie ...
.
One of the keys to Australia's unexpected victory in the 1987 Cricket World Cup
The 1987 Cricket World Cup (officially known as the Reliance Cup 1987 for sponsorship reasons) was the fourth Cricket World Cup. It was held from 8 October to 8 November 1987 in India and Pakistan – the first such tournament to be held outside ...
was the batting foundation laid by the top three batsmen - Jones batting at number three behind the openers David Boon
David Clarence Boon (born 29 December 1960) is an Australian cricket match referee, former cricket commentator and international cricketer whose international playing career spanned the years 1984–1996. A right-handed batsman and a very oc ...
and Geoff Marsh. Jones would score a total of 314 runs at an average of 44, with 3 half-centuries. During a 1987 World Cup match against India, one of Jones' shots was changed from a four to a six during the innings break. Australia later won the match by one run. Jones was quoted as saying that he had spoken to the umpires to demand it was changed to a six.
Jones went on to be a mainstay of the Australian Test team middle order over the next six years and being one of the stars of the successful 1989 Ashes
The 1989 Ashes series was a series of Test cricket matches contested between England and Australia for the Ashes. It formed part of the 1989 Australian tour of England. The six-Test series began on 8 June 1989 at Headingley in Leeds and ended on ...
tour of England. He was recognised for his efforts by being named as one of Cricketers of the Year
The ''Wisden'' Cricketers of the Year are cricketers selected for the honour by the annual publication ''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', based primarily on their "influence on the previous English season". The award began in 1889 with the naming ...
in the 1990 edition of Wisden Almanack
''Wisden Cricketers' Almanack'', or simply ''Wisden'', colloquially the Bible of Cricket, is a cricket reference book published annually in the United Kingdom. The description "bible of cricket" was first used in the 1930s by Alec Waugh in a ...
. He was controversially dropped from the test team at the start of the 1992–93 season, despite having topped the averages in the previous Test series, against Sri Lanka.
Jones stayed in the one-day team a little longer: he was omitted from the one-day team for the 1993 Ashes tour, but managed to force his way back into the team for one last stint during the 1993–94 season. After Jones was dropped from the eighth and final ODI of the series in South Africa, Jones immediately announced his retirement from ODI cricket.
After cricket
After retiring in 1998, he continued to remain involved in cricket as a coach, commentator and writer for '' The Age'' and '' The Sydney Morning Herald''.
He was also a noted fundraiser for people with cancer. On 12 June 2006, in the Queen's Birthday Honours List, he was made a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for ''"service to cricket as a player, coach and commentator, and to the community through fundraising activities for organisations assisting people with cancer"''.[ In 2007, Jones was named in Australia's "greatest ever ODI team." He was inducted into the ]Australian Cricket Hall of Fame
The Australian Cricket Hall of Fame is a part of the Australian Gallery of Sport and Olympic Museum in the Australian Sports Museum at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. This hall of fame commemorates the greatest Australian cricketers of all time, ...
in 2019.
Coaching career
Jones worked as the head coach of Islamabad United in Pakistan Super League
The Pakistan Super League (PSL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league contested during February and March of every year by six teams representing six cities of Pakistan. The league was founded on 9 September 2015 with five teams by the P ...
(PSL). During his reign, Islamabad United won the 2016
File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh c ...
and 2018 Pakistan Super League
The 2018 Pakistan Super League (also known as PSL 3 or for sponsorship reasons, HBL PSL 2018) was the third season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2015. It ...
s. In November 2019, Jones became head coach of PSL team Karachi Kings, replacing Mickey Arthur
John Michael Arthur (born 17 May 1968) is a South African-Australian cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer, who played in South African domestic cricket from 1986 to 2001. He has served as the head coach of the Derbyshire County Crick ...
ahead of the 5th edition of Pakistan Super League.[
In October 2017, ]Afghanistan Cricket Board
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB; ps, د افغانستان کرکټ بورډ, fa, کرکت بورد افغانستان; formerly Afghanistan Cricket Federation) is the official governing body of cricket in the Afghanistan. It is Afghanista ...
(ACB) appointed Jones as the interim head coach for Afghanistan's Intercontinental Cup fixture against Hong Kong.
Commentary career
He received the nickname "Professor Deano" after giving a pitch report for a television show by dressing up as a professor
Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...
prior to the group stage match of the 2004 Asia Cup
The eighth edition of cricket's Asia Cup (also called Indian Oil Asia Cup) was held in Sri Lanka after a gap of 4 years. Sri Lanka beat India
India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seven ...
between India and Sri Lanka which was at the on 18 July 2004. He eventually emerged as one of the prominent broadcasters in cricket and was known for his work as commentator with Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as Tata Group, TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 cricket, T20 Professional sports league organization, franchise cricket Sports league, league of India. It is annually contested by ...
select dugout show in Star Sports. He also served as a summariser for BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
's ''Test Match Special
''Test Match Special'' (also known as ''TMS'') is a British sports radio programme, originally, as its name implies, dealing exclusively with Test cricket matches, but currently covering any professional cricket. It broadcasts on BBC Radio 4 LW ( ...
'' and had a brief stint as a commentator in the Tamil Nadu Premier League
The Tamil Nadu Premier League (TNPL) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league contested in the state of Tamil Nadu in India and was formed in 2016 by the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA). It is played during July and August of every year ...
as well as in the Karnataka Premier League
Maharaja Trophy T20 , formerly known as Karnataka Premier league , is an Indian Twenty20 cricket league established by the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) in August 2009 and modelled after the Indian Premier League (IPL). As of 20 ...
. During his later part of commentary career, he voiced his opinions on reviving international cricket in Pakistan since 2009.
He also toured war-torn Afghanistan to work as a commentator for the fifth edition of the Shpageeza Cricket League
The Shpageeza Cricket League (SCL, also known as the Alokozay Cola Shpageeza Cricket League for sponsorship reasons and Etisalat Sixes T20) ( ps, شپږیزه کرکټ لیګ) is a Twenty20 cricket tournament organized by the Afghanistan Cricket ...
in 2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a se ...
. He narrowly escaped a suicide bomb blast at the Kabul International Cricket Ground while working as a commentator during a group match of the 2017 Shpageeza Cricket League.
Controversy
Despite his abundant talent as a cricketer, Jones's strong personality and tendency to speak his mind sometimes resulted in friction and conflict with teammates, other players and selectors. An example is an incident on 16 January 1993 during the first one-day final of the 1992–93 Benson & Hedges World Series against West Indies at the Sydney Cricket Ground, when he asked paceman Curtly Ambrose to remove the wristband he was wearing on his bowling arm. Riled by this request, Ambrose went on to take 5/32 for the match. He followed this up in the remaining two games of the Test series with a 10-wicket haul
In cricket, a ten-wicket haul occurs when a bowler takes ten wickets in either a single innings or across both innings of a two-innings match. The phrase ten wickets in a match is also used.
Taking ten wickets in a match at Lord's earns the bowle ...
in Adelaide and then a famous spell of 7 for 1 in Perth to help the West Indies retain the Frank Worrell Trophy
The Frank Worrell Trophy is awarded to the winner of the West Indies– Australia Test match series in cricket. The trophy is named after Frank Worrell who was the first black captain of the West Indies. It was first awarded at the end of the 1 ...
. Writing about the incident over 20 years later, Jones reflected that, at the time, he was struggling to keep his place in the team after having his thumb broken by Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram HI (; born 3 June 1966) is a Pakistani cricket commentator, coach, and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Akram is widely regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time, and several criti ...
. Furthermore, Damien Martyn
Damien Richard Martyn (born 21 October 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former cricketer, who played Tests and ODIs. He played for the national team sporadically in 1992–1994 before becoming a regular ODI player from 1999 to 20 ...
had taken Jones's spot in the Test side, and Jones was furious after coach Bob Simpson announced the team for the upcoming Test in Adelaide and was again left out. Jones noticed that Ambrose's white wristbands were causing difficulties for the batsmen, and thought that by asking him to remove them, "it would create a massive stir within the Windies team and might get Ambrose to bowl a different line and length".
Jones's commentating contract with 10 Sport
''10 Sport'' (known as ''Ten's World of Sport'' from 1992 until 1996) is the brand that all sporting events broadcast on Network 10, an Australian free-to-air commercial television network. Sports streamed on Paramount+ in Australia since Augu ...
was terminated after referring to South African player Hashim Amla
Hashim Mahomed Amla OIS (born 31 March 1983) is a South African former international cricketer who played for South Africa in all three formats of the game. Amla holds the record for being the fastest ever to score 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000, 6000 ...
as a " terrorist" on 7 August 2006. When Amla, who is a Muslim with a full beard, took a catch, Jones was heard to say "the terrorist gets another wicket". Jones made the comment during a commercial break; however, the comment went to air live in South Africa, as its broadcast had not been interrupted. He apologised for his actions.
In April 2020, Jones rescinded his life membership at Cricket Victoria
Cricket Victoria (CV) is the governing body for the sport of cricket in the Australian state of Victoria. It was formed on 29 September 1875 as the Victorian Cricket Association. It is integrated with the Victorian Women's Cricket Association to ...
and removed his name from the best men's one-day player award, the Dean Jones Medal. He suggested the administration had given "jobs for the boys" in hiring David Hussey
David John Hussey (born 15 July 1977) is an Australian cricket coach and former cricketer. Hussey is a right-handed batter and can also bowl right-arm off breaks. He is the younger brother of former Australian cricketer Michael Hussey. He was ...
and Michael Klinger
Michael Klinger (born 4 July 1980) is an Australian former first-class cricketer, who held the record for the most runs scored in the Big Bash League when he retired in 2019.
Until the 2008–09 season, Klinger played for Victoria and for S ...
as head coaches of the Melbourne Stars
The Melbourne Stars are an Australian Twenty20 franchise cricket team, based in Melbourne, Victoria that competes in Australia's Twenty20 competition, the Big Bash League. The Stars wear a green uniform and play their home matches at the Melb ...
and Melbourne Renegades
The Melbourne Renegades are an Australian professional men's Twenty20 franchise cricket club based in Melbourne, the capital city of the Australian state of Victoria. They compete in the Australian Twenty20 cricket competition, the Big Bas ...
, respectively—jobs he had applied for at the time. The comments were labelled "a good bit of self-promotion" by Cricket Victoria performance boss Shaun Graf. Both the life membership and one-day player of the year were later reinstated posthumously in December of the same year with “full support” from his family.
Personal life
Jones had a sister and three brothers. He was married to Jane at the time of his death. They had two daughters together; Jones also had a son Koby Hamilton from another relationship.
Death
Jones died on 24 September 2020 in Mumbai due to a stroke, aged 59. It was originally reported he had a heart attack. He was a part of the 2020 Indian Premier League
The 2020 Indian Premier League, also known as IPL 13 and branded as Dream11 Indian Premier League 2020, was the thirteenth season of the IPL, a professional Twenty20 cricket (T20) league established by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (B ...
commentary team for the Star Network at the time of his death. Jones collapsed in a hotel in Mumbai at around midday IST
Ist or IST may refer to:
Information Science and Technology
* Bachelor's or Master's degree in Information Science and Technology
* Graduate School / Faculty of Information Science and Technology, Hokkaido University, Japan
* Graduate School ...
( UTC+05:30). Fellow former Australian cricketer Brett Lee
Brett Lee (born 8 November 1976) is an Australian former international cricketer, who played all three formats of the game. During his international career, Lee was recognised as one of the fastest bowlers in the world.
In each of his first two ...
witnessed the emergency and attempted CPR
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is an emergency procedure consisting of chest compressions often combined with artificial ventilation in an effort to manually preserve intact brain function until further measures are taken to restore spont ...
to resuscitate Jones prior to an ambulance arriving. The Victorian Coroner confirmed that his death was caused by stroke.
Notes
References
*
*
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Dean
Australia One Day International cricketers
Australia Test cricketers
Australian expatriate sportspeople in England
Australian cricket coaches
Derbyshire cricket captains
Durham cricketers
Cricketers from Melbourne
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Members of the Order of Australia
Australian cricket commentators
Cricketers at the 1987 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 1992 Cricket World Cup
1961 births
2020 deaths
Melbourne Cricket Club cricketers
Pakistan Super League coaches
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees
Scarborough Festival President's XI cricketers
People from Coburg, Victoria