Family bid farewell to Dean Jones with a lap of the iconic MCG

The cricket fraternity around the world suffered a great blow when former Australian cricketer, Dean Jones, breathed his last in a Mumbai hotel. He was part of the broadcast setup of the on-going Indian Premier League, but a massive heart attack ended in life in the spur of the moment.

His colleague and friend, Brett Lee, was present with him during the unfortunate incident and tried reviving him, but all went in vain. In the latest turn of events, Cricket Australia paid him heartfelt tribute at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

In the empty MCG, ten closest members of Jones gave him the last honour, while tunes of Elton John and INXS were played in the background. As per the COVID-19 protocols, the ceremony just saw limited ten people. His coffin was conveyed around the same ground where he featured in six out of the total 52 Test matches played in his career.

A hearse carried the Jones’ handmade coffin, which was developed in India around the iconic ground for one last time. It was adorned by the Australian flag and had a beautiful floral 324 arrangement, which displayed Dean’s Test cap number as per the official MCG website. The number was also his highest first-class score, which he achieved for Victoria against South Australia on MCG only.

Can’t thank everyone enough for their support: Dean Jones’ wife Jane

One last lap of the @MCG for Deano, farewelled by ten of his closest family members over the weekend. Forever in our hearts! ❤️ pic.twitter.com/R2skRt2CkB

— Cricket Australia (@CricketAus) October 7, 2020

“We have been deeply moved by the outpouring of love for Dean over the last week and can’t thank everyone enough for their support and for sharing their memories with us,” said Jane Jones, Dean’s wife.

She added that it has been an awful time for them to move ahead with things, but there could have been a better farewell for him than this iconic place. Earlier also, she made a public note where he thanked everyone for their endless support in these testing times.

“It has been an awful time to navigate as a family, but I could not have thought of a more fitting place to say goodbye to my husband than under the lights of his beloved MCG. What better way to honour him than with the music of his friends Elton John and INXS echoing throughout the empty stadium,” she concluded.