Melbourne, December 20
The Men's domestic ODI Cup in Australia has been renamed after the legendary batter Dean Jones in recognition of his contributions that helped in "revolutionising" the limited-overs game.
Earlier, the campaign was launched on Cricket Australia's digital platforms to identify and shortlist players to name the tournament after with Jones, former Aussie batter Michael Bevan and all-rounder Andrew Symonds being three names who were assessed by the Australia Cricket Hall of Fame committee, as per ESPNCricinfo.
An important criterion was the player's record in the Men's ODI Cup, top-level performances in international cricket and being a player who dominated the ODI format.
Jones, who passed away in September 2020 at the age of 59, scored 2,122 runs in 55 domestic ODI games for Victoria at an average of 50.52 and led them to a title win in the 1994-95 season. In international cricket, Dean was a trailblazer for Aussies in limited-overs game, scoring 6,068 runs at 44.81 with seven centuries. He was also part of the team which won the 1987 Cricket World Cup. In List-A cricket, which considers all limited overs, one-day matches at every level, Dean scored 10,936 runs at an average of 46.93, with 19 centuries.
"When the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame selection committee assessed the players for this honour, one player's performance, record, standing, contribution and impact stood out clearly for it to be a unanimous decision," Peter King, the Hall of Fame chair, said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
"Dean Jones revolutionised the one-day game and stamped it on the minds of all Australians, it is deserved recognition for someone whose contribution was so vast," he added.
Jones' daughter, Phoebe, was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo: "On behalf of the Jones family we are very grateful for this recognition of our Dad, who we miss dearly. It makes it extra special knowing it is fan-voted and will be unveiled today at what he nicknamed 'his office' at the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground).
"Dad would be extremely proud to receive this acknowledgement. He loved representing Victoria in this competition and winning the 50-over World Cup for Australia in 1987 was what he described as the greatest cricketing day of his life," she concluded.
Alongside the naming of the trophy, the 'Player of the Final' will be awarded the 'Michael Bevan Medal'. In 232 ODIs for Australia from 1994-2004, Bevan scored 6,912 runs at an average of 53.58, with six centuries and 46 fifties in 196 innings. His best score was 108*. He also featured in 18 Tests for Aussies, scoring 785 runs at an average of 29.07, with six fifties in 30 innings and best score of 91.
The Dean Jones Trophy and Michael Bevan Medal will be presented for the first time on this season's final, which will take place on March 1.