Dean Jones: Australia loses a sporting hero far too soon | Geoff Lemon

The swashbuckling former player, who has died aged 59, batted like he had seen it all before and could not wait to do it all again

It is not supposed to unfold like this. Some scraps of information filtering through the internet late on a Thursday evening, unsourced, surely a hoax. The text messages start pinging around between people seeking confirmation from each other. But then the reports grow more firm, confirmation comes through from those in the know. Dean Jones has gone, not beamed up as he should have been from the centre of the MCG with bat raised to the light, but in Mumbai for another commentary job. Not yet 60 years old.

Sporting heroes have their seasons, in far longer rhythms than the seasons they played. A certain generation becomes elderly, then gradually each member makes an exit from the dignity of advanced years, more likely drawing a reverent wave of farewell rather than a sharp grief. The next generation takes their place as elders. But Dean Jones was nowhere near that generation. His rank still has decades to prosper.

Related: Dean Jones, brilliant attacking batsman and punchy character | Vic Marks

Related: Dean Jones, former Australia cricketer, coach and commentator, dies aged 59

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