Former Australian Cricketer Dean Mervyn Jones was a great cricketer, coach and commentator. He played both in Test and ODI format for Australia. He boasted an excellent record in Test cricket, and is best remembered for his batting and fielding in the ODI format. During the late 1980s and early 1990s he was regarded among the best ODI batsmen in the world.
Most Memorable Innings
Jones was selected on the 1984 tour of the West Indies after Graham Yallop 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.
Vs India: Chennai Test, 1986
Jone’s most notable innings was against India and it came only in his third innings at Chennai in 1986. However the Test finished in a draw. Jones beat dehydration and braved extremely hot and humid conditions to score a double century of 210. He was frequently vomiting on the pitch. It was one of the defining moments in Jone’s career and one of the epic Test innings in Australian Cricket Folklore.
Ashes, 1986-87
Dean Jones became a thorn in England’s Ashes glory early enough in his career, as he romped his way to a superb unbeaten 184 at Sydney in 1986-87, engineering a consolation 55- run win for Australia after the series had been lost.
Vs West Indies, Adelaide, 1988-89
Another triumphant moment arrived in 1988-89 against the West Indians. In the fifth Test on a placid Adelaide pitch, he hammered Marshall, Pat Patterson, Ambrose and Walsh to pile up a career-best 216. The series, once again, had been lost and the match was an inconsequential draw, but it was a great statement for Jones who had missed the first two matches of the series.
Benson & Hedges World Series, 1988-89
Jones scored 7 hundreds in ODIs during his career. But his most brilliant innings was witnessed in the deciding final of the Benson & Hedges World Series 1988-89, against the West Indian pace attack at Sydney. In a rain-curtailed innings against an attack comprising Malcolm Marshall, Curtly Ambrose, Ian Bishop and Courtney Walsh, Jones played a blinder as the rest struggled. When the 38 possible overs were completed, Jones was unbeaten on 93 off 82 balls, with eight fours and two sixes. West Indies won with 28 balls to spare, but Jones etched his name in the lists of world’s greatest batsmen in world cricket.
And the Controversies
Despite his abundance of talent, Jones’ strong personality and tendency to speak his mind sometimes landed him into trouble. It resulted in friction and conflict with teammates, other players and selectors. Arguably the most famous incident during his international career occurred on 16 January 1993 during the first ODI final of the 1992-93 Benson & Hedges World Series against West Indies at Sydney Cricket Ground, when he asked pacer 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.
The most infamous incident took place when Jones' commentating contract with Ten Sports was terminated after referring to South African player Hashim Amla 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, but the comment went to air live in South Africa as its broadcast had not been interrupted.
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