Dean Jones, the former Australia batsman, died on Thursday after a heart attack in Mumbai. He was 59. Jones, who was is in India as a commentator for the IPL, is understood to have suffered a massive heart attack around noon IST.
It is understood that Jones, who was part of the commentary panel for Wednesday’s match, had breakfast this morning and attended a pre-match debriefing with his colleagues. He is believed to have returned to his room and suffered the heart attack there.
“It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing away of Dean Mervyn Jones AM,” Star India, whom Jones was a commentator for, confirmed through a statement. “He died of a sudden cardiac arrest. We express our deep condolences to his family and stand ready to support them in this difficult time.”
Remembered for his double century in the famous tied Test between India and Australia in Chennai, Jones played 59 Tests and 164 ODIs. He was also part of Australia’s 1987 World Cup-winning team. He carved a career in coaching and cricket commentary after his retirement from all forms of cricket in 1997-98.
A precocious talent for Victoria, gruffly mentored by his father and Carlton Cricket Club legend Barney, Jones was introduced to the Australian side in the aftermath of Greg Chappell and Dennis Lillee’s retirements at the tail end of the 1983-84 summer, and made a meritorious 48 opposite Allan Border on debut against the fiery West Indies in Trinidad.
The selectors were careful with him thereafter, not wanting him to suffer too much at the hands of the same West Indian juggernaut, and it was not until the 1986 tour of India that he gained a solid opportunity to grasp.
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