Dean Jones, the former Australia batsman, has 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 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.
“Dean Jones was one of the great ambassadors of the game associating himself with Cricket development across South Asia. He was passionate about discovering new talent and nurturing young Cricketers. He was a champion commentator whose presence and presentation of the game always brought joy to millions of fans. He will be sorely missed by everyone at Star and his millions of fans across the globe.”
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 as a commentator and analyst after his retirement from all forms of cricket in 1997-98. Pakistan cricketers have expressed their sorrow over the demise of the former Australia batsman Dean Jones.
The 59-year-old was in India to cover the ongoing 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a commentator where he reportedly suffered a sudden heart attack which proved fatal on Thursday.
Cricketers, including veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, star fast-bowler Mohammad Amir and former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja expressed sorrow over the death of Jones on their official Twitter accounts.
Jones led Islamabad United to their second Pakistan Super League (PSL) title as the head coach.
He was the coach of the Karachi Kings franchise during the PSL 2020 and was expected to return to Pakistan for the remainder of the matches in November later this year.
Jones represented Australia in 52 Tests and 164 ODIs where he has managed to score 9,699 runs, which included 18 centuries and 60 half-centuries.