Former Australian captain and Dean Jones’ ex-teammate Mark Taylor has revealed the cricket legend held concerns about his health years before his tragic death.
Jones died aged 59 on Thursday night after suffering a heart attack in a Mumbai hotel, where he was quarantining as part of his commentary commitments with Star Sports for the Indian Premier League.
Fast bowling legend Brett Lee performed CPR on his colleague and good mate but he could not be revived.
Taylor heard the news Jones had died when former opening partner Michael Slater texted him from Dubai. He couldn’t quite believe it, but as the reality started to sink in, he was reminded of a conversation the pair had a few years ago where Jones talked about his health issues.
“When you first get a message like that (from Slater), you don’t quite believe it. You think somehow the lines of communication have been blurred between Dubai and Mumbai — then everything started flooding in and I thought, ‘This is real’,” Taylor said on Channel 9’s Sports Sunday.
“I couldn’t believe it although, having said that, I had a couple of beers with Deano about three years ago at a golf day … sitting there was myself, Peter Taylor and I think Ian Healy.
“And he talked about some heart issues then. That’s three or four years ago now, so it’s obviously something in his family because I believe his father died of a heart attack, or certainly heart-related issues, so there may well have been something there.
“But you didn’t expect it from Deano.
“Like all of us, he wasn’t as fit as he was when he played, but he was still going to the gym, still running, still fit, so it’s a shock to the cricketing world.”
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Tributes have flooded in for Jones, who was a much-loved figure in cricket. He remained connected to the game through various commentary and coaching roles, and according to Australian mentor Justin Langer was set for a gig with the national T20 team.
Jones’ wife Jane and two daughters, Phoebe and Isabella, have all posted moving tributes to the most important man in their lives.
The cricketer’s former mistress has also spoken out for the benefit of the 11-year-old son, Koby, they share together. Kerri-Anne Hamilton, who had a nine-year affair with Jones, told the Sydney Morning Herald: “Dean was always trying to look after everyone; his family and also me and Koby. He made everyone feel special and loved.”
A minute’s silence was held before yesterday’s game between the Australian women’s team and New Zealand in memory of Jones.
The 59-year-old played 52 Tests for Australia, scoring 3631 runs at an average of 46.55 with 11 centuries. But it was the one-day format where he become an idol so many kids looked up to.
The first person to wear sunglasses on a cricket field, Jones set new standards when it came to fitness and changed the 50-over game with his aggressive batting and electric running between the wickets.
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