Dean Jones: A dashing batsman who lived cricket to the fullest
It was a typical scorching day in Chennai, temperatures were reaching almost 50 degree Celsius, with extremely high humidity. It was almost unbearable to even walk on the roads. But at the Chepauk Stadium, India and Australia were up against each other in what was the first Test match of Australia’s tour to India. Australia elected to bat first. After a solid start, Geoff Marsh was dismissed with the score at 48. His dismissal brought to the crease, a certain 25-year-old Dean Jones. And that was the start of something legendary.
Jones batted across two days in the terrible and unbearable conditions and ended up scoring 210, an innings which is till date regarded as one of the best Test innings ever. He fought dehydration, his inner battles and India’s bowlers and had to even be hospitalised after the innings as he had lost a lot of fluid. Fight and never give up. This was what Dean Jones stood for and he displayed this on that day in Chennai. Dean Jones’ legacy was not limited to that historic tied Test in 1986 in Chennai though. It was just the start of it.
Glorious International Career
Jones, born 24th March 1961, was an integral part of the Australian squad from 1984-1994. He had a fruitful career scoring 3631 runs in 52 Tests at an average of 46.55 and 6068 runs in 164 ODIs at an average of 44.61 and was also part of Australia’s victorious World Cup campaign in 1987. However, he was more than what his numbers display. He had a strike rate of 72.6 in ODIs; which was considered extremely high back then, without taking unnecessary risks.
He was a master at finding gaps and rotating the strike. He redefined limited-overs batting, being a smooth operator especially in the middle overs of the game. His thinking was it is better to play percentage cricket and keep a high strike rate than take risks and he flourished with this mindset. He might not find a place in the list of the greatest players to have emerged from Australia, but he sure left a lasting impact as a player retiring from the game in 1994.
Innovator. Entertainer. Professor. Icon.
Rest in peace, Dean Jones. pic.twitter.com/aIPKUmodwk
— ICC (@ICC) September 24, 2020
Post-retirement life
Professor Deano, as he was fondly called, was not satisfied. Being the cricket tragic that he was, he went on to don several roles in the future. He tried his hand at commentary, coaching, analysis and he succeeded at all of them. He was a joy to listen to on the mic. You could sense the passion he had for the game in his voice. He joked around frequently and his humour was an integral part of who he was.
He also had a coaching stint in the Pakistan Super League and he led Islamabad United to two title wins in 2016 and 2018. He was a passionate coach and the red diary which he carried during PSL became quite famous. According to Deano, it consisted of all data, answers to all cricket related questions. His longest-running stint was as a commentator and analyst with Star Sports in India especially during the IPL where his banter with the Kiwi Scott Styris would leave everyone in splits.
Deano was the complete cricketing man with a brilliant mind, impactful voice and a charismatic personality. It thus came as a rude shock to the cricketing world when on the afternoon of 24th September, it was declared that he had passed away due to a massive cardiac arrest. It was shocking because just a night earlier he was at his cheerful best doing commentary for the ongoing IPL. But life is such. While his death left everyone numb and emotional, Deano, had he been alive wouldn’t have wanted anyone to mourn his passing away for long. Rather he would have wanted us to celebrate his illustrious life. He left an impact wherever he went, be it India or Pakistan. He was one of the most loved cricketing personalities across nations. This is his true legacy. Rest in Peace, Professor Deano, you will always stay in our hearts.
