Dean Jones was a pioneer of change in limited-overs cricket, modernising it with his on-field bravery and style

Among his myriad contributions to one-day cricket in Australia, Dean Jones’ most enduring legacy is undoubtedly the fact he brought revolution to its evolution. 

From a purely statistical standpoint, Jones remains a great of the sole limited-overs format played during his 16-year career and deserves to be shortlisted to have the domestic one-day trophy named in his honour by that metric alone.

The 164 One-Day International appearances he made for Australia – which included a pivotal part in the nation’s epochal 1987 World Cup win – yielded 6068 runs at an average of 44.61, with seven centuries and a strike rate of 72.5 per 100 balls faced.  

Of the 17 Australia-capped batters to have passed 5000 runs in the 50-over format, only Michael Bevan (53.58), Michael Hussey (48.16) and David Warner (45.31) boast better averages.

In the domestic competition, Jones scored 2122 runs at an even better average (50.52) and more impressive strike rate (74.09) at a time when white-ball cricket underwent rapid transformation. 

He also claimed eight player-of-the-match awards from 55 appearances, and captained Victoria to the 1994-95 one-day trophy, ending a 14-year title drought for the men’s team in limited-overs cricket.

During his time in the domestic white-ball competition (1982-1998), nobody scored more one-day cup runs and only Queensland’s Stuart Law matched his tally of four centuries. 

But it was also ‘Deano’ who pioneered many of the most profound changes, whether clad in the canary yellow of Australia during a decade-long international tenure or the navy blue of Victoria.

There were the sunglasses that had never before been worn on-field by a professional cricketer, and which Jones’s Australia teammate Mark Taylor dismissed as a gimmick until he tried them and found they provided instant relief from harsh glare.

During the 1987 World Cup campaign in India, which revived Australia’s global fortunes after years of abject disappointment, Jones unfurled a rarely-seen reverse sweep, only to be told by coach Bob Simpson “play that shot again, you’ll never play for Australia again”.

Whereas outfielders had historically loped around the boundary and often used their feet to try and intercept the ball, Jones hared and hurled himself across the turf before rifling back a throw with the power and accuracy of a baseball pitcher. 

And his scampering between wickets to milk every available run was deemed so innovative he was invited to the national cricket academy to teach future champions how to run minimal distance and instead cover the last metre or so by fully extending their bat.

When Jones made his one-day debut for Victoria on New Year’s Day 1982, the limited-overs format more closely resembled its four-day forebear than the freewheeling product of today. 

State teams were yet to adopt coloured clothing even when using a white ball, and a score of 250 or thereabouts was considered above par in most games.

But Jones – who began his career as a number seven batter and useful bowler who snared the scalps of Test batters Wayne Phillips and David Hookes in his maiden outing – set about taking the abbreviated game to a new level.

He was among the first to move about his crease in a bid to throw off rival bowlers and patented the crazy-brave strategy of advancing down the pitch at dumbfounded quicks. 

By the end of Jones’ playing days in 1998, the domestic one-day competition regularly saw totals around 300, and it was during that 1997-98 season when the first match aggregate of 600+ runs in Australia (NSW 7-319 v SA 282) was posted at North Sydney Oval.

“The domestic one-day trophy should be named the Dean Jones Cup,” one respondent (Scott Cawsey) to the cricket.com.au Name the Domestic One Day Trophy fans’ poll wrote.  

“Jones was, along with Allan Border, the catalyst of bringing Australian cricket up to the standard of West Indies in the era that saw him raise the bar for running between wickets, lifting run rates, and outfielding.

“Without his contribution, Australia would not have won the 1987 World Cup or 1989 Ashes, and Victoria would not have begun its resurrection in all formats in the late ’80s and through to current day.

“He paved the way for the players that dominated world cricket under Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting. 

“He also scored some memorable innings in McDonald’s Cup/Mercantile Mutual Cup, leading Victoria though the halcyon era of domestic cricket.”