DEAN JONES CALLS IT A DAY
The Electronic Telegraph 26:05:1998

FORMER Australian Test batsman Dean Jones announced his retirement from cricket yesterday. Jones, 37, stepped down from international cricket four years ago but continued to play for Victoria in the Sheffield Shield and also had a spell in England as captain of Derbyshire. Jones played 52 Tests for Australia, scoring 3,631 runs at an average of 46.55. His innings included 11 centuries, 14 fifties and a highest score of 210 on the 1985-86 tour of India.

Jones also made his mark on the limited-overs game, scoring 6,068 runs from 164 matches at an average of 44.61. He scored seven centuries with a top score of 145. After leaving Derbyshire he returned to Australia for another season as captain of Victoria, scoring almost 900 runs at an average of 55.

CANBERRA COMETS ASK DEAN JONES
TO MAKE A COMEBACK
AFP 29:12:1999

FORMER Australian Test batsman and one-day star Dean Jones could be lured out of retirement from top-level cricket to play with the Canberra Comets next season. ACT Cricket Association chief executive Gary Goodman confirmed Wednesday that he had informally asked Jones to play for Canberra in the domestic one-day competition next season.

Jones, who has been scoring plenty of runs for a second division club in Melbourne, said he did not expect to make a decision until as late as February. If he accepts, he will follow the lead of former Test paceman Merv Hughes who played out his top level cricketing days with Canberra in the Mercantile Mutual Cup. Goodman said he took a chance and chatted to Jones when he spotted the former Test bat in Melbourne during the Boxing Day Test match against India.

Jones was interested but indicated he would need to juggle business and media commitments with a new fitness regime. Goodman said the ACT was an important region of development for Australian cricket and experienced players were needed. “We are nurturing young players and someone like Jones would be of great benefit to these young players batting around him,” he said. “He'd be a great influence.” Jones' age of 39 and the fact that he had not played international cricket since 1994 was not a problem, Goodman added. “Age doesn't come into it if a bloke's fit enough.”