Name:

Jones, Dean M

Nickname:

Deano

Date of Birth:

24-03-1961

Place of Birth:

Corburg, Melbourne

Career:

Test: 1984 - 1992
ODI: 1984 - 1994
First Class: 1981 - 1997

Teams:

Australia (Country)
VIC (Regional)
Derbyshire (Regional)

Dean Jones on World Cup: This will be the biggest event of 2015

Dean Jones: Controversial No 3 batsman who redefined running between wickets

Dean Jones was a free scoring right handed top order batsman. He began his first class career in the 1981/82 season with Victoria.

Jones made his international breakthrough when selected on the 1984 tour of the West Indies, replacing Graham Yallop had to pull out due to injury . Steve Smith fell ill and although Jones himself was very ill before the Test at Port of Spain, he made his Test debut against the famed Windies pace attack. He posted 48 and had a 100 run stand with skipper Allan Border (98) as they rescued Australia. Jones later refered to this innings as his "best knock".

He made his ODI debut against Pakistan in Adelaide in 1984.

Heroic double ton

In the famous Tied Test at Chennai in 1986, Jones scored 210 after he batted through the day. He was so dehydrated that he ended up in hospital.

He was one of stars of the 1987 World Cup win and also was a key contributor in regaining the Ashes in 1989.

His highest Test score was 216 against the great West Indies team in Adelaide in 1989. Jones and captain Allan Border put on a 214-run fourth-wicket partnership to secure a draw.

Jones was the rock of the Australian batting line up from the late 1980s until his shock dropping in 1992 following the tour to Sri Lanka.

Controversies

He courted controversy on many occassions. In the One day final at the SCG in 1993, he asked Curtly Ambrose to take his sweat bands off. It become a massive international incident in the cricket world. It fired up Ambrose and completely changed the fortunes of the West Indies on their 1992-93 tour of Australia where the Windies won both One Day and Test series.

He had a public falling out with his once close friend Merv Hughes after a bitter sledging bout got out of control in a Victorian state match in the mid 1990s. Jones later regretted the angry episode stating "I did not want the friendship (to end). The game isn't just about winning all the time. We went to war together. If he didn't hang around with me in Adelaide I would never have got a 200 (against the West Indies in 1989). He got hit 45 times (that day)"

In 2006, Jones was sacked by Ten Sports after he called Hashim Amla a terrorist on live television. Amla took a catch to dismiss Kumara Sangakarra in the on going Test match in Colombo and Jones was heard saying "the terrorist has got another wicket" during a commercial break that went live to air. Jones later apologised for this outburst.

In 2010, his Victorian Father-of-the-year award was revoked after admitting to having a lengthy affair and a child with another woman whilst married.

Career record

Between 1984 and 1992, Jones played 52 Test matches for Australia, scoring 3,631 runs, including 11 centuries, at an average of 46.55.

He was Australia's premier One Day batsman during his career with his energetic and frenetic running between the wickets changing the style of scoring runs. In 164 ODI matches, he scored 6,068 runs, including seven centuries and 46 half centuries, at an average of 44.61.

He scored 19,188 runs in first class matches, including 55 centuries and 88 half centuries and a highest score of 324 not out, at an average of 51.85.

Jones now is a coach and a commentator. In the Queen's Birthday Honours List of 2006, he was made a Member (AM) of the Order of Australia for "service to cricket as a player, coach and commentator, and to the community through fundraising activities for organisations assisting people with cancer".

Source: CricketCrowd Staff Reporter