Former Australia cricketer Dean Jones passes away in Mumbai

Former Australia cricketer Dean Jones’ association with India famously started with his marathon knock of 210 in the Chennai Test of 1986, and yesterday marked the 34th anniversary of that famous Tied Test. Today, Jones tragically passed away in Mumbai following a massive cardiac arrest. He was 59.

The cricketer-turned-commentator was in Mumbai on commentary duty for the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) as part of Star Sports India. Jones today attended a briefing session at 11 a.m. for tonight’s KXIP vs RCB clash, and was then conversing with colleagues in the corridor of his South Mumbai hotel.

To everyone’s shock, Jones suddenly collapsed to ground and was rushed to Mumbai’s Harkisandas Hospital. Unfortunately, the authorities declared him dead on arrival. His family, back in Australia, has been informed.

Dean Jones was not only one of the most dynamic batsmen of his era, but he also later became one of the most popular voices in world cricket. He even had his own show – ‘Prof Deano’ – on NDTV.

In 52 Tests, Dones scored 3,631 runs at an average of 46.55, including 11 hundreds and 14 fifties. He was considered to be the ideal fit for white-ball cricket, and scored 6,068 runs in 164 ODIs at an average of 44.62 and a strike rate of 72.57.

Dean Jones was an integral part of Australia’s 1987 World Cup-winning team. He scored 314 runs at an average of 44 as Australia won the World Cup for the first time. That moment, too, came on Indian soil. He last represented Australia in 1994.

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The legend of Dean Jones has grown over the years

1987 Cricket World Cup Final Australia v England

After featuring in the 1990 edition of Wisden Almanack as one of the Cricketers of the Year, Dean Jones was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame last year. Jones also served as head coach of the Karachi Kings and Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League.

Why that 210 has been glorified over the years is because of Dean Jones’ sheer tenacity and never-give-up attitude. His dehydrated condition was so bad that he had to be rushed to a Chennai hospital for saline drips immediately after getting out.

Jones later admitted to have been urinating in his pants towards the end of his knock, and had no memory of his hospital visit.

We at Sportskeeda would like to offer our condolences to Dean Jones' family during this difficult time.