Dean Jones’ greatest regret was his fractured relationships in cricket fraternity
Victorian legends both, Dean Jones and Merv Hughes were larger than life characters and the best of friends. That all changed one fateful day and that brothership was never rekindled. Deano went to the grave with a huge regret.
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Dean Jones would have loved the celebration of all things Deano. Cricket legends and fans across the globe mourned his sudden, shocking death.
Elton John complained “life is unfair”. Sachin Tendulkar was effusive in his praise and generous in his words. Wasim Akram thanked him on behalf of Pakistan for his contribution to that country’s cricket. Jason Gillespie now has the batsman’s image as his Twitter avatar.
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There was, however, another layer of sadness beyond the tragedy of his death in an Indian hotel at the age of 59.
In the end Jones’ relationship with his state, Cricket Victoria, had broken down completely. He had fallen out with former teammates and the administration. Some of the personal relationships healed, some never got a chance and were the source of his greatest regret, but things came to a head with Victorian cricket earlier this year.
Hurt by repeated rejections, he sent back his life membership in January and asked his name be taken off the state’s one-day player award.
Jones, who was fascinated by the T20 game and had coached it with success in Pakistan and Afghanistan, was frustrated at the way he’d been treated when he went for the head coaches job at the Melbourne Stars but worse was to come.
Jones complained he “wasn’t even good enough to even get an interview” for the same position at the Melbourne Renegades.
At the time he sent a long message detailing his treatment.
Jones complained that Cricket Victoria, “had never had a reunion from the Shield wins or other trophy wins. Nothing! Not even a newsletter mention … any young boy or girl searches the CV website … doesn’t mention players or their records … no culture or pride of the big V’.
The professor, like the prophet, was ignored by his own state but embraced by the rest of the cricket world. Commentary and coaching appointments came on the subcontinent but in Australia the phone just didn’t ring.
Nonetheless Jones reached out and helped a lot of players including Chris Rogers who sought help in dealing with England offspinner Graeme Swann and later reached out to Australian captain Tim Paine.
Deano knew he had been his own worst enemy at times, but had matured over the years and attempted to show more empathy and less unbridled enthusiasm. Some old wrongs were, unfortunately, never righted.
He and teammate Merv Hughes fell out and hadn’t spoken for 25 years.
Jones appeared to have tears in his eyes when the subject was raised by Robert Craddock on Fox’s Cricket Legends.
“It’s the biggest regret of my life,” he admitted.
“We were closer than brothers.”
Jones’ decision to drop his injured mate from the team and some vigorous sledging in a practice match caused the rift. It was a something he wished he could revisit.
“If I had the chance again I’d play him. The friendship — the game isn’t just about winning,” he told Craddock.
Justin Langer was a fan of Jones’ cricket brain and wanted him back in the Australian set-up.
“He was passionate about the game, he was passionate about helping people,” Langer said on Friday.
“He’s helped me as the Australian coach over the last few years.”
The coach had wanted to get him in as a mentor for the T20 World Cup team.
In recent years he had developed a close relationship with Paine who told The Australian he was impressed by Jones’ honesty, ideas and enthusiasm. The captain believed Jones was a valuable resource going to waste.
The pair spoke regularly after Jones approached Paine on his appointment to the captaincy.
Paine told the champion that even if Victoria’s doors were closed he was more than welcome in the Australian dressing room. Paine, cheekily, invited Jones to join the Tasmanian team inner circle in its Shield clash with Victoria at the Junction Oval this year but the round was cancelled.
Jones, Paine says, giggled at the prospect.
The batsman’s passion and enthusiasm were raging torrents and could come at the cost of diplomacy. Paine loved his honesty, recalling Jones ringing to tell him bluntly that his defence was atrocious and he would never score another century unless he fixed it.
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He loved Victorian cricket but the relationship started on the wrong foot and ended similarly.
Jones wrote in his book ‘Deano – My Call’ that he was “devastated” when Ray Bright stood up in the dressing room and announced after his 39 on debut that he was “the worst batsman I’ve ever seen play for Victoria”. It may have been a joke but he never took it that way as there was hostility between the older players and a younger group.
Ironically, when Victorians were clamouring to bring back Deano after his ejection from the Australian side in the early 1990s his teammates in state cricket were desperate to be rid of a champion who had become bitter and impatient.
Darren Berry devoted pages of his book ‘Keeping it Real’ to the detail around his falling out with Jones at the time.
Fortunately the pair eventually reconciled and later worked together at South Australia and Islamabad.
“I am uncomfortably numb we spoke on the phone for almost 2 hours just a few days ago & now you are gone,” Berry said. “So glad we reunited my friend after too many years apart. This photo a memory I’ll cherish forever. Rest easy Big Tuna I’ll miss our passionate cricket chats.”
One positive to come from Jones’ period in Indian quarantine was that bored and with nothing to do he’d apparently had a chance to talk to so many people. He died with legends around him such as Brett Lee and Brian Lara, but such was his passion and generosity that he would talk to anyone about cricket.
“Call whenever,” he’d texted the week before. “Always OK for a chat.”
Originally published as Dean Jones’ greatest regret was his fractured relationships in cricket fraternity