The news of former Australian cricket legend Dean Jones has died of a heart attack in Mumbai where he was present for the IPL job shocked everyone.
Justin Langer, the Australia coach, said, Deano was a true legend of Australian sport and world cricket, one of the great players and personalities in a golden time for the game. His role in the team’s World Cup win in 1987 and the 1989 Ashes under AB (Allan Border) were a huge turning point for Australian cricket.
Jones played 52 Tests for Australia, amassing 3,631 runs at 46.55 with 11 centuries and 14 fifties. In 164 ODIs, he scored 6,068 runs at 44.61 with seven tons and 46 fifties.
Jones was one of the great ambassadors of the game who associated himself with cricket development across South Asia. Jones influenced cricketers and made friends around the world through his coaching and TV stints, and earlier as a player.
Popularly known as Professor Deano, he was famous for his attacking batting style as a top-order batsman in one-day internationals. In India, he enjoyed two of the finest moments in his career, the 1987 World Cup win and the double-century at Chepauk.