Dean Jones dead – When he was spurred by ‘You Weak Victorian’ comment in 1986 tied Test

The cricketing world is in shock after former Australia cricketer and commentator Dean Jones died at the age of 59 due to a massive heart attack in Mumbai. Jones is considered one of the best batsman in the 80s and his ODI record was fabulous, 6068 runs in 164 games at an average of 44. In Tests, Dean Jones averaged over 40 but he is remembered for some memorable innings. In the middle of the 80s, when Australian cricket was going through a crisis, two people are credited for making Australia rise from the Ashes. One is Allan Border and his aggressive captaincy. The other was the batting of Dean Jones. His aggression as well as his magnificent way to dictate terms to the opposition was crucial in Australia’s resurgence in that period. Jones batting was catchy to the eye and when the situation demanded, he would raise his game to a different level. This situation was epitomized brilliantly during the 1986 series between India and Australia, notably in the first Test in Madras.

The temperatures hovered between 40 and 41 with a humidity of over 80 percent. It was Chennai (then Madras) at it’s absolute brutal best. Plus, the winds that would blow across the stadium would carry the stench of the Koovam, that time a big gutter which made playing even more difficult.

Australia chose to bat in Madras and David Boon notched up a fine century. However, Jones stole the show with his magnificent strokeplay. When he crossed his century, he was dehydrating badly. The situation worsened when he kept going on. Seven hours in the cauldron of the MA Chidambaram stadium was brutal for anybody. Now, at least there are gaps in the stadium which would allow the cool breeze in the evening from the Marina beach to make conditions bearable. But, at that time, it was a closed concrete hovel and it made the situation even worse.

He started vomiting but he lost all bodily control when he urinated frequently in his pants. He suffered from leg and stomach cramps. This robbed him of his ability to play spin. He, somehow, by sheer gut and instinct, stood still and still had good vision to hit the ball. When he reached 174, his body gave up. He said he could not continue. Ordinary cricketers would have definitely not even gone beyond where Jones had been. But, this was Australia under Alla Border. He went up to Jones and raged, “You weak Victorian. I want a Queenslander out there.” The ‘Weak Victorian’ jibe focused Jones even more and he notched up his 200. He was bowled by Shivlal Yadav for 210. 210 runs of an epic that very few had the privilege to see.

Jones was immediately rushed to the hospital and the ambulance had to break plenty of traffic rules to ensure Jones’ life could be saved. After an ice bath and an overnight stay in hospital, Jones was fine but the Test match proved to be a classic.

Classic Tied Test

Australia ended on 574/7 declared and they bowled India out for 397 with Kapil Dev hitting 119. Australia declared again on 170/5, setting India a target of 348. Sunil Gavaskar smashed 90 and there were contributions from Mohinder Amarnath, Mohammad Azharuddin, Chandrakant Pandit and Ravi Shastri.

However, Ray Bright and Greg Matthews bowled unchanged throughout the fifth day and got all 10 wickets between them. When Matthews trapped Maninder Singh LBW, with the batsman pointing that he had hit it, the match ended in a tie. It was the second tied game in 110 years of cricket history, with the first tied Test also involving Australia in 1960 at Brisbane against the West Indies. One more trivia – Bob Simpson is the only individual to feature in both tied Tests. In 1960, he was a player and in 1986, he was the manager of the side.

The Madras Test though will be remembered for the guts of Dean Jones. Rest in Peace, Dean Jones. You will be missed.