MUMBAI, Sept 24: Former Australia batsman Dean Jones, one of the finest exponents of ODI cricket, died of sudden cardiac arrest in Mumbai on Thursday. Jones, 59, was in Mumbai with the Star Sports� commentary team for the Indian Premier League. He was in a bio-bubble in a city hotel. He is survived by his wife and two daughters. He played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs for Australia and was part of the 1987 World Cup winning team.
�It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing away of Mr. Dean Mervyn Jones AM. He died of a sudden cardiac arrest,� Star Sports said in a press release.
�We express our deep condolences to his family and stand ready to support them in this difficult time. We are in touch with the Australian High Commission to make the necessary arrangements,� the release added. �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. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,� the broadcaster said.
A player well ahead of his time, Jones scored over 6068 ODI runs at an average of 44.61 with seven hundreds and 46 fifties.
For Indian fans, he will forever remain in their memory for the historic tied Test in Chepauk, where he laid the foundation of a big Australian score with an unbeaten double hundred in challenging conditions. � PTI
