Jones blended the conventional and the unorthodox, be it while playing or commentating
In a year of grim tidings, the demise of Dean Jones in Mumbai on Thursday is the latest hammer-blow. Sport has lost an effervescent cricketing star, who made a smooth transition to the commentary box with his swagger and zest intact.
During his prime, the former Australian batsman was all energy and aggression.
He exuded an aura in One Day Internationals (ODI), with shots that blended the conventional and the unorthodox while embellishing it with frenetic running between the wickets.
Jones, Deano to his friends, was a sharp fielder too and he was part of the 1987 World Cup-winning squad helmed by the indomitable Allan Border.
The Madras classic
After a tearful Kim Hughes resigned and left the reins of a weakened Aussie unit to Border in 1984, the latter identified Jones as one of his vital cogs,…