The cricket world has been thrown into mourning following the sudden death of Dean Jones who died after suffering a massive heart attack today, September 24. He was 59.
The Australian cricket legend who was in India working in the commentary booth for the IPL, collapsed in a Mumbai hotel where fellow former cricketer Brett Lee was on the scene and performed CPR, according to The Australian.
Star Sports India, the host broadcasters for IPL 2020, confirmed the news of Jones’s passing in a statement.
“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. 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.”
“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.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”
Cricket Australia released a statement on Thursday evening expressing the sadness being felt right across the cricket world.
“Cricket Australia is deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Dean Jones at the age of 59.
Jones represented Australia in 52 Tests and 164 One-Day Internationals and won admirers the world over with his dashing shot-making and superb fielding,” the statement read.
“He was also a stalwart of Victorian cricket during the 1980s and 1990s and retired as the state’s leading first-class run-scorer.”
Dean Jones played 52 Test matches while scoring 3631 runs at an average of 46.55. He was a crucial part of Allan Border’s Australian side and represented Australia in 164 ODIs and went on to score 6068 runs including seven centuries in 46 fifties.
Rugby stars from across the globe have taken to their respective social media accounts to pay tribute to Dean Jones.