Dean Jones, an Australian International Cricketer whose career spanned the decade from 1984 to 1994, was the guest speaker at the Jakarta Cricket Association’s Annual Dinner held on May 15th 2004. Jones is regarded as one of the finest batsman to play in that era and is best remembered for his fighting 210 runs against India in the extreme Madras heat of 1986. He retired from cricket after 52 Tests, 3,631 runs with an average of 46 including 11 centuries and 14 fifties.
He is also known as one of the finest Limited Over cricketers to play the game; a swashbuckling and attacking player both with the bat and in the field. He played 164 internationals for Australia scoring 6,068 runs with a strike rate of 72.
Jakarta24 caught up with Deano between breaths at a coaching clinic at Karawang.
Deano, what went through your mind when you were asked to come to Jakarta? Firstly, Jakarta is not synonymous with cricket and secondly, the Australian government is still issuing travel warnings about coming to Indonesia.
There was never any hesitation about coming to Jakarta. I’ve just got back from Pakistan, which I would rate as a bigger risk than Indonesia. True there are travel warnings – in fact, the Australian government increased the warning level a day or two before we left. I came here with my wife; we spent four great days in Bali and then on to Jakarta. As I said, not coming was never an issue.
One thing’s for sure, when I get back to Australia, I’ll be telling everyone what a great place Indonesia is. We’ve enjoyed our stay here – went to a few clubs, had a round of golf and the cricket clinic with the Indonesian school kids was a lot of fun. The kids were very attentive, keen to learn and extremely friendly. Very impressed.
And I’m especially impressed with the hard work being put into cricket here. Next weekend, Indonesia is fielding its first ever international cricket team. They’ll be playing in a regional competition to be held in Tokyo. That’s a great reward for all involved in the development of the game here. I’d like to return to support these efforts and I’ll do my best to encourage other former cricketers to do the same.
Dean, you were one of the few players who crossed the bridge from perhaps Australia’s darkest cricketing era to into what is probably one of the country’s finest – and one that is still continuing to this day. How was this achieved, and sustained?
The two driving forces behind Australia’s mid-80s transformation were undoubtedly Allan Border and Bobby Simpson. They instilled a winning culture or more exactly, a winning team culture. As you know, cricket, with the glory attached to centuries and bags of 10 wickets, probably has more emphasis on personal achievement than other team sports. With Allan and Bobby, these personal achievements were put in the back seat. Winning for the team was everything.
This was backed up with strong discipline, both on and off the field, and an emphasis on fitness. Fitness was one of the key contributors behind our 1987 World Cup win.
Well, my next question is about personal achievements. Bob Simpson reportedly said that your 210 against India in the historic tied test of Madras was the best ever. I suppose you would consider this your best innings?
No, I’ve always regarded my first Test innings of 48 against the West Indies in Trinidad in 1983-84 as the best innings I’ve played. For various reasons – it was my first test so the nerves and pressure to perform were high; I was up against the best quartet of quickies ever assembled - Joel Garner, Michael Holding, Andy Roberts and Malcolm Marshall; and the wicket was very green and damp – the ball was taking divots out of the pitch – it got a bit ugly. So in my debut test – first, to survive against those blokes and then to get 48 – I was pretty happy.
Having said that, in whatever sport, to prove that you’ve absolutely made it, you have to climb that mountain, you have to get to the top of your Everest. And there’s no doubt that the 210 in the Madras test was my Everest. I had more than butterflies in my stomach when I went in to bat and to stay out in the 40+ degrees heat (even some of the Indians were suffering) for over eight hours and come up with a double century was very rewarding. It cost me though – I lost 7 kilograms in one day, ended up in hospital on a saline drip. It took me quite a while to fully recover.
You were also rated as the best one-day batsman in international cricket in your time. What’s your choice, Dean – Test Cricket or the One Day Game? And is there a different switch you flick for the two types?
Despite the popularity of one-day cricket, Test cricket remains the pinnacle arena for me. The strategy, adjusting to the ebb and flow of the game, the endurance – it’s got it all. The switch? Well, one day cricket is pure adrenalin – a real adrenalin pump – the crowd, the atmosphere.
To finish then, Deano – I can see you’re in great demand – quickly, your best ever players?
Bowlers: Joel Garner at 6’10” dropping those quickies down from the stratosphere – very intimidating; Richard Hadlee, best with the new ball, excellent line and length; and Abdul Qadir, the Pakistani spinner – unbeatable at home. Batsmen: always Allan Border for me, and Viv Richards, a very powerful man.
Okay Dean. Thanks very much. Enjoy the rest of your stay in Jakarta.
