World News – AU – Cricket Australia in honor of Dean Jones with two honors

Dean Jones has mostly put on a show wherever he’s been a batsman, so it seems only fitting that Cricket Australia will honor life with two major honors this summer.

The first celebration will take place on Friday at the opening of the one-day international match against India in the SCG, when there is a minute’s silence before the game and both nations wear black armbands. There will also be a package of highlights from his great career on the big screen.

The greatest honor, however, is saved for the showcase event, the Boxing Day Test at the MCG, at which an audience from home town remembers him, which has supported him enormously and which he has enjoyed playing before. The tribute takes place during the tea break at 3 a.m.. At midnight on the first day, Jones’ wife Jane and his family will be there. Three hundred and twenty-four was Jones’ highest first-class score and his test cap number.

A poem by local writer Chris Driscol after Jones’ death is recited, while a tribute banner sits in the seat pan over a seat bay throughout the test. Other plans are also discussed.

Jones, 59, died of a heart attack in Mumbai last month. His death shocked the cricket world. His body was flown home and Jane and daughters Isabella and Phoebe and Jones’ siblings were part of a small group that participated in a private family funeral that included a lap of honor at the MCG.

In a statement after the funeral, Jane Jones spoke of her heartache over the death of her 34-year-old husband.

« We have been deeply moved by the love we have for Dean over the past week and we cannot thank everyone enough for their support and for sharing their memories with us, » she said.

« We will miss Dean’s energy, his zest for life, his passion for cricket and his love for us as a family forever. « 

The Melbourne Cricket Club, where Jones played his cricket, will observe a minute’s silence this weekend before all games take place. Further plans will be formulated when the upgrade work on the club’s home stadium, the Albert Ground, is completed next year.

Jones represented Australia in 52 tests averaging 46. 55 with 11 centuries, its most famous its 210 in the 1986 tied test and 164 one-day internationals that revolutionized the 50-overs format with its between-gate running, aggressive shooting and excellent fielding. He was the first cricketer to wear sunglasses on the field.

When he emerged at a time when Australian cricket was arguably the lowest, he became an integral part of the team that won the 1987 World Cup on the subcontinent and the Ashes in 1989. He was just as dedicated off the field, where his no-nonsense shooting style made him popular with many, though there were times when it strained relationships.

Desperately disappointed that he had not coached an international team or the Victorian national team, he became a good Twenty20 coach in the subcontinent and a columnist for The Age and Sydney Morning Herald.

Jon Pierik is a cricket writer for The Age. He also reports on AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.

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