Deano my childhood idol
From childhood hero to compatriot to friend and now we all feel a big void indeed but plenty of great memories of Deano as a player, coach, commentator, ambassador, administrator and human being.
Dean Jones
As a kid in the 1980s, it certainly was Dean Jones who was setting the world alight with his dashing style of play. He had the arrogance which made him believe he was the best and in his mind, he was pushing the legendary Viv Richards in that era and he probably was too. That arrogance is what made him special in whatever role he played later in life.
My uncle who was working for Rothmans in the day was a close friend of the great Australian fast bowler Alan Davidson who was an ambassador for Rothmans. In conversation Alan had picked up that there was a little kid in Sri Lanka who simply adored Deano and happened to mention it to the star who played in Yellow. On my next birthday there arrived a letter addressed to me with many an inspiring word. How good was this… and to this day I cherish that letter with fond memories. Imagine what an awesome feeling it was and also the fact that he took time to make a positive impact to someone’s life in some corner of the world.
He was one of a kind with such a strong presence. An even stronger opinion which later with our friendship evolving and mutual respect growing, we were able to discuss and more often than not argue for hours. Sometimes it was a challenge to understand his theories. But one thing is for sure, each day there was a new theory, a plan, another story. What a sense of humour and the best part was he could take it as well he dished out unlike most others.
I remember watching him in his only tour of the island. The famous Test series in Sri Lanka of 1992 in which Sri Lanka blew that great opportunity of beating the mighty Australians at the SSC chasing 180. It was Shane Warne’s first overseas Test. Deano made 77 and 100 not out in the next Test in which Sri Lanka for the first time showcased Muralitharan. I cannot forget the 210 in Chennai mostly because of his struggles in the heat.
I always looked forward to the evening after a game to listen to the stories of yesteryear with Deano as the main character and the walks along the beach specially down in Galle which would last a few hours as he was so good at making conversation with strangers who knew nothing about cricket.
The advice, the ideas and chirp were very welcome and always gave us such a positive vibe whenever he was around. Hard to come to terms as the evening before that fateful day the 24th of September we had a chat and he was looking forward to coming over to Sri Lanka in November for the proposed LPL. “Let me know what’s happening,” he ordered. “I wanna come,” he said.
Rest in peace my friend. You will never be forgotten for the fond impact you have had in my life and many others.