Rest in peace Deano: Cricket loses a true trailblazer

He was commentating for Star Sports Select Dugout in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match the previous night. The next morning, he was seen getting prepared to rock the commentary box yet again. But someone above had other ideas.
The news left everyone in shock. Most of them were asking if it was for real. Dean Jones, the forever cheerful and energetic man, is no more. Within 16 hours of signing off from the Star Sports Select Dugout, he died of a massive heart attack in Mumbai.
Deano, as he is popularly known, was an extremely well-known figure in the cricket world. He has commentated in numerous international games and in several franchise leagues all over the world and is famous for his forthright views.
Jones was a title-winning coach as well, being the first coach to lift the Pakistan Super League (PSL) title.
But few of this generation know that Dean Jones was almost inarguably the greatest ODI batsman of his time. Through the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was actually the best ODI batsman according to the retrospective ICC player rankings. He was always said to be way ahead of his time when it came to batsmanship in ODI cricket. Not many batsman, at that time, were willing to skip down the track and take on fast bowlers. His strike rate of 72 in ODI cricket was superior to most of his contemporaries.
Not only that, he was a terrific runner between the wickets, always threatening the fielders to convert the ones into twos and twos into threes. Jones was an outstanding fielder as well and easily one of the pillars of Australian cricket during the rebuilding period in the eighties especially in white-ball cricket.
However, despite being an white-ball legend, probably the most memorable innings he played was in Test cricket.
The first Test of Australia's 1986 tour of India was significant for quite a few reasons. Australia skipper Allan Border had Jones in the team ahead of some promising young players. Jones, playing his first Test in more than two years, was under the pump. He was not on the back of good scores as well.
The sun was blazing down with intense ferocity in Madras. Jones was not really able to cope with the scorching heat and began to feel nausea. At the other end was his captain Allan Border, the captain grumpy. The hard-nosed Border told Jones, "If you cannot handle the situation, let's get in a real Australian. Get in a Queenslander."
Hailing from Victoria, Jones took it as a challenge and did not go off. He fought and fought tooth and nail, for a staggering 8 hours and 22 minutes. His epic knock of 210 in that match which ended up in a tie will be forever remembered for the aesthetics, entertainment and brutality.
Jones, in that innings, scored his second hundred off just 66 deliveries because he just couldn't run. Dehydration took hold of him and he started to only slog.
By the 170s, he started to lose control of his bodily functions and urinate involuntarily in his pants. Jones, though in trouble, showed the real Australian in him and carried on. He carried on until he got out for 210. Jones later said that he did not remember anything about the latter part of the innings and found him in a hospital at one o'clock in the morning on a saline drip.
Though the heat of Madras took toll on his health, he batted in the next innings and did not miss any of the Tests in that series, suggesting the fitness and willpower he possessed.
Dean Jones was noted humanitarian as well. He was a fundraiser for people with cancer. He along with his wife once set off for a 1,115 km charity walk to raise funds for the Bone Marrow Donor Institute. He was made a member of Order of Australia (AM) for his service to cricket and society.
Dean Jones, the 'tough bugger' from Victoria and ever joyful person, will be remembered. Rest in peace, Deano.