NEW DELHI: Former Australia cricketer and renowned commentator Dean Jones passed away on Thursday following a massive cardiac arrest in Mumbai at the age of 59.

Jones played 52 Tests and 164 ODIs for Australia between 1984 and 1994 as a batsman during his playing days, before venturing into commentary.

Jones was part of the Australian team that won the 1987 World Cup, playing a starring role in the campaign. Jones was Australia’s third highest run-getter in the tournament, scoring 314 runs in 8 matches. He was currently in India as part of the team of experts working on the Indian Premier League with host broadcaster Star Sports.

“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. 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,” Star India said in a release.

“Dean Jones was one of the great ambassadors of the game associating himself with Cricket development across South Asia.

He was passionate about discovering new talent and nurturing young Cricketers. He was a champion commentator whose presence and presentation of the game always brought joy to millions of fans. He will be sorely missed by everyone at Star and his millions of fans across the globe.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.”

Jones made his debut for Australia in a Test match in the West Indies in 1984. He scored almost 9500 international runs. He retired from international cricket with an average of 46.55 in Test cricket and 44.61 in ODIs.

(with inputs from Agencies)