Dean Jones was so much more than a great cricketer, writes LACHLAN WILLS

OUR country has lost a great Australian, and the world has lost a great cricketer.

The tragically sudden and premature passing of Dean Jones is being felt so deeply, by so many.

Sachin Tendulkar said he was heartbroken at the passing of “a wonderful soul”.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said Jones was “an absolute cricketing legend” who changed the game and was a “genuine good guy”.

Dean Jones was equal parts extroverted flare and iron-willed guts.

He was the first cricketer to wear sunglasses on the field, and his lightning fast athleticism revolutionised running between the wickets and fielding.

Jones had the guts to dance down the pitch and hit fast bowlers back over their heads for six, and even tried to put West Indian Curtly Ambrose off his game by asking him to remove his sweat bands because they were “distracting”.

But the crowning glory of Jones’ career was the 210 he made during the tied Test against India at Madras in 1986.

Jones battled in 50C heat and 90 per cent humidity – he lost 8kg in a day and lost control of his bodily functions in the middle of the ground, but batted on.

Cricket luminary and then-coach Bob Simpson said it was the greatest innings ever played by an Australian.

Jones himself always held that his best innings was his Test debut, against the West Indies in 1984.

Jones came to the crease at 5/80 on a rain-affected green top at Port of Spain.

The 22-year-old faced down the greatest fast-bowling attack of all time: Malcolm Marshall, Joel Garner and Michael Holding.

The second ball from Garner cannoned into Jones’ stomach.

“It felt as though an Exocet missile had just gone through,” Jones said later.

He toughed it out, shared a century partnership with Alan Border, and made 48.

Jones averaged 46.5 in Test cricket and 44.6 in oneday cricket – absolutely elite, especially when you consider the era of fast bowlers he played against.

Another compelling storyline to the Jones career was his hot-and-cold relationship with authority.

Jones was repeatedly snubbed by Australian selectors in the mid-1990s, when he was the leading run-scorer in domestic cricket.

Even Victorian Premier Dan Andrews’ message of condolence mentioned that he “should have been picked for many more than his 52 Tests”.

After Jones was overlooked for the 1996 World Cup, he was selected for the World XI side which played AGAINST Australia at the MCG.

Jones made 103 against Shane Warne and Co and was named Man of the Match.

If you can’t join them, beat them!

That’s why I love Dean Jones.

In 2009, I produced an interview with Jones where he was asked how he felt about that perennial non-selection.

“Would you have thought any more of me if I played 75 Tests?” he said.

Of course, the answer was ‘no’.

What Dean Jones did in 52 Tests and 164 one-day internationals captivated a nation, a generation, and your humble author.

I’m a 31-year old, who grew up in Victoria.

When I was seven I watched Dean Jones make a 100, and I was hooked.

In those days Victoria always lost.

And in winter Collingwood used to always lose.

But Dean Jones always won. He was the John Wayne of cricket. He showed me how to win.

They say “you should never meet your heroes” as they are likely to only disappoint.

I was blessed to know and work alongside my all-time idol, Dean Jones.

He was an absolute gentleman. And immensely humble.

Our deepest thoughts are with his wife Jane and daughters Phoebe and Isabella.

Rest In Peace, Dean Jones.