Dean Jones left his favourite Melbourne Cricket Ground one last time with a lap of the oval, riding in peace as van decorated with flowers arranged as number 324 – depicting his Baggy Green number – took him around the Oval.
Music by Jones’ friends Elton John and INXS echoed at the MCG in a rich tribute to the cricket icon.
One last lap of the @MCG for Deano, farewelled by ten of his closest family members over the weekend. Forever in our hearts! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/R2skRt2CkB
— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) October 7, 2020
The Jones family bid a final adieu to Dean at a private ceremony where only ten people were allowed due to the COVID-19 restrictions in Melbourne. It was a quiet farewell for one of the most followed voices that narrate LIVE cricket.
Incidentally, Jones breathed his last when he was on a cricket commentary assignment. He was in Mumbai as a member of the Star Sports’ Indian Premier League commentary panel where he suffered a cardiac arrest on September 24.
Jones, 50 is survived by wife Jane and daughters Phoebe and Isabella.
“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 said. “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.
“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.
“We would also like to extend a big thank you to the Department of Foreign Affairs for ensuring Dean was returned home to us as quickly as possible.”
The coffin was covered with an Australian flag as a hearse took him on one last lap of the MCG.
Jones had represented Australia in 52 Tests and 164 One Day Internationals. A favourite of so many of the sport’s fan in the 1980s and early 1990s, he was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2019.
RIP Professor Deano.