Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones dies of heart attack

Marty Melville / AFP

Former Australian cricketer Dean Jones has died following a cardiac arrest on Friday. He was 59.

Jones was in Mumbai as part of the Indian Premier League (IPL) official broadcaster's commentary panel.

"It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing away of Mr. Dean Mervyn Jones AM. He died of a sudden cardiac arrest,"  Star India said in a statement.

"We express our deep condolences to his family and stand ready to support them in this difficult time. We are in touch with the Australian High Commission to make the necessary arrangements."

Jones, regarded as one of the finest batsmen of his generation, played 52 Tests and 164 one-day internationals for Australia in an international career that spanned 10 years between 1984 and 1994.

He scored 3,631 runs in Tests at an average of 46.55 with 11 hundreds and 14 half-centuries and over 6,000 runs in ODIs with seven centuries and 46 fifties.

After his retirement, he worked as a coach and commentator and was inducted into the Australian Cricket Hall of Hame in 2019.

More from Sports