Dean Jones, who died last month because of cardiac arrest, was bid adieu with a final lap of honour at the empty Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). A total of 10 people, including his family and close friends, attended the event.
The ground’s public address system played tunes by Elton John and INXS, musicians the former Australian batsman had counted among his many friends. His wife Jane Jones thanked everyone for the way people have reminisced and remembered about his cricket career.
“We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of love for Dean over the last week and can’t thank everyone enough for their support and for sharing their memories with us,” Jane Jones said.
Dean Jones’ wife further thanked Melbourne Cricket Club and MCG for tributing him in a special way. His coffin was conveyed around the venue where he played six of his 52 Test matches
“It has been an awful time to navigate as a family, but I could not have thought of a more fitting place to say goodbye to my husband than under the lights of his beloved MCG,” she added.
“What better way to honour him than with the music of his friends Elton John and INXS echoing throughout the empty stadium. We’d like to extend a huge thank you to the Melbourne Cricket Club and the MCG for their willingness to create our personal tribute to Dean and for Cricket Australia’s support,” she added.
Dean Jones, with the name of ‘Prof Deano’, represented Australia in 52 Test matches scoring 3,631 runs at an average of 46.55. The batsman also had eleven Test centuries to his name. Apart from Tests, Jones also played 164 ODIs and scored 6068 runs at an average of 44.61, including seven centuries and 46 fifties.
After retiring from cricket, he became a renowned cricket expert and commentator. Also, he was highly active in social media platforms and kept his voice openly.