How do you write about an effervescent person who departs from this world when still in his prime? Yes, Dean Jones was in his prime, at 59, jovial, ever-smiling, striving to forge new friendships, a person with an infectious optimism about life. When he arrived for his commentary stint at Star Sports for the Indian Premier League (IPL), Jones brought with him deep knowledge of the game to be shared at the hugely popular Select Dugout show.
The Dugout has hosted many a super star but none could match the insightful reading of the game as Jones. If he was called Prof Deano, there were reasons for the title. He was a great student of the game. An analyst who saw angles that none could think of. His homework for the show was impeccable. Jones was a treat at the Dogout.
Australian fast bowler Brett Lee shared the affable Jones’ final moments as quoted by The Telegraph. “Even though I gave (my) everything in trying to resuscitate Dean with the use of CPR and a defibrillator, I wish there was somehow or someway to bring him back.”
A distraught Jane was quoted in The Age, “My beautiful husband, the love of my life has lived his life with every bit of energy at his disposal, and he leaves an enormous gap in our lives which can never be filled. He leaves us with so many wonderful memories that will last forever. At this challenging time, when our grief is so raw, we have drawn much consolation from the many messages of goodwill and support from so many people around the world. Given Dean’s special love for the sub-continent, it was especially touching to hear so broadly from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. We are overwhelmed by the scale of the response to the news of his death and we will forever be grateful for that.”
His daughters posted poignant tributes to Jones. “Love of my life. My hero. My best friend. Dad. Rest in Peace,” Augusta wrote. Phoebe said, “I just keep staring at my phone waiting for him to call and tell me this is just a bad dream,” Phoebe said in her post.
For us, the earliest memories of Jones were obviously the Madras Tied Test. He dominated the match like a colossus and would regale us with some stirring stories about the match. Believe me, he had something new to share every time we reflected on that epic Test. His humility did not allow him to speak of himself and he had some kind words for the contributions of Sunil Gavaskar, Kapil Dev, David Boon and Allan Border in making that match an unforgettable experience. He would give special credit to Border for the bold declaration that set up that pulsating finish.
Hard to believe it was only the third Test for Jones, who made his debut against the West Indies at Port of Spain in 1984. He marked his first appearance against India with that great knock of 210 when he fought heat and dehydration at Madras. In fact, he had to be put on saline drip at the end of the day’s play and the brave man produced one of the grittiest knocks of all time.
In a touch tribute in Cricinfo, Ian Chappell wrote, “This was the innings of a man with a big heart. Unfortunately, that same heart failed the man affectionately known as Deano.” Who can forget Jones asking West Indian great Curtly Ambrose to remove the white wrist band since it was the same colour as the ball.
Over the years, I got to know Jones as a wonderful storyteller. He could talk on cricket for hours, and golf, which had become an addiction for him. “I would love to be a professional golfer in my next birth,” he said when we met last year at the Star Sports Studios in Mumbai.
I and my longtime colleague from THE HINDU/SPORTSTAR, Rakesh Rao, spent the afternoon with Jones and Scott Styris with a mock session of the Dugout. It was a memorable outing for us. He took us around the studio and explained the making of the show and his personal liking for the concept of analysing the game. His banter with Styris was one of the pleasant takeaways that I took home that day.
Jones and I had a common friend in Ketaki Golatkar, now the Senior Manager ‑ Media & Communications at the International Cricket Council in Dubai. She was crestfallen and broke down as we remembered Jones. “He was a dear friend. He was so caring and affectionate. My father casually invited him home for a Malvani lunch and Deano happily accepted the offer. He spent the afternoon at our home and patiently watched the photo albums my father and brother shared. He did not have to do it. When I shifted to Dubai for my ICC assignment recently, he called to caution me of the rising COVID-19 cases and told me sternly not to needlessly step out of the house. He did not have to do it. I will miss him,” said an emotional Ketaki.
I was privileged to spend an evening with Jones, Border, Wasim Akram and Madan Lal at Kapil Dev’s residence. Jones was the star of the evening as he remembered some of his exploits against Kapil and Akram and was so delighted to answer questions on the art of batting, especially playing against spinners. “If you have a good defence, no bowler is going to trouble you,” was his simple batting formulae. Young cricket aspirants can learn so much about the game from his book Dean Jones’ Cricket Tips.
“This book is about one-percenters, and finding the edge. It is targeted at absolutely every cricketer, from eight-year-olds to internationals, boys and girls,” Jones wrote in his introduction. He was a big supporter of Test cricket and expressed his apprehensions on the future of the format in one of his colins for Sydney Morning Herald.
He told SMH, “We need to look after Test cricket though. If Test cricket continues on its current descent it will be dead within a decade. TV ratings in Asia are declining at a rapid rate and the interest in this format is becoming non-existent with Asian youth. If the Asian fans are not interested, then the Test format will be finished. I can hear many people say Test cricket will always survive. Well, when the best players leave Test cricket to play T20, which is already happening, this will leave us with mediocre Tests. Test cricket needs to become more exciting, and it needs more marketing.”
Immensely popular in India, Jones’ image of a Professor, attired in his robe and with the mortar board on the NDTV Show, will be a lasting image for cricket lovers. “I love India, the culture, the food, the people. I just love coming to India,” he told me when we met last. “We love you too,” was my response. It was a pleasure knowing you Professor. You left us too soon.
Dean Mervyn Jones. Rest in Peace.