Jones to be honoured at first match of the summer

Australia's women's team will wear black armbands and a minute's silence will be held ahead of Saturday's T20I series opener against New Zealand in Brisbane in honour of the late Dean Jones.

Legendary Australia batsman Jones died from a heart attack on Thursday in India, aged 59.

Australia head coach Matthew Mott said his passing had already had "a profound impact".

"It's incredibly sad, and sudden," Mott told cricket.com.au.

"I think everyone was very shocked, I was flipping through Facebook this morning and there were just so many tributes.

"I grew up, like every Australian kid my age, just loving the way he played the game, especially one-day cricket. He probably doesn't get enough credit for being one of the catalysts for change in one-day cricket. His running between the wickets and just the energy that he brought to that format was amazing.

"During Covid we've actually been seeing a lot of those (highlights), and he was the one who changed the landscape; a score of 220 was never enough when you had players like him coming out to bat.

"He was a character, and he had an aura when he came to the wicket. I remember being a young kid at a Test match at the Gabba, and seeing him strut out to the wicket with that swagger that he had. Everyone just thought, 'This guy is pretty cool'."

As a player, Mott missed Jones by around 12 months at Victoria in the mid-1990s but both men became respected coaches in the global cricket community while forging different paths that occasionally intersected.

"In all my dealings with him he was incredibly positive," Mott said. "As a former player, he would always come up for a chat and see how you were going. He would ask good questions, and he genuinely cared.

"It's a very sad day. He was way too young. I feel for those who were on the scene at the time and of course for his family and friends – from everyone in our team, our thoughts go out to them."

Jones paid tribute to Australia's and India's women's teams and the general advancements to the women's game via social media following the T20 World Cup final in March, which was played in front of a packed-out crowd on his beloved MCG.

"So proud of how Melbourne showcases sporting events," Jones wrote on Twitter. "MCG looked a picture. Katy Perry was awesome. And both teams will never forget such a big day for International Women's cricket! Congrats to all involved. Women's cricket has arrived now."

On Saturday at Allan Border Field, his legacy will be remembered by Australia's finest female cricketers.

"These players here, while they're a bit younger, they absolutely know who Dean Jones was, particularly the big group of Victorians we have," Mott added.

"He was such a proud Victorian, such a proud Australian, a Hall of Famer not long ago and one of the greats of the game.

"So we'll definitely pay tribute and there will be some moments of reflection, not just during the minute's silence but in our group as well."

Australia skipper Meg Lanning said Jones "took (ODI cricket) to a new level, and was before his time in the way he played the game", while her captaincy counterpart Sophie Devine also paid her respects on behalf of the White Ferns.

"It's tragic news and our thoughts are certainly with the wider cricket community," Devine said.

"Obviously he was a huge personality and dearly loved by a number of people, so our thoughts are with not only his family but the wider cricket community here in Australia as well."

The first T20I begins at Brisbane's Allan Border Field from 1.50pm on Saturday.

CommBank T20I and ODI series

Australia squad: Meg Lanning (c), Rachael Haynes (vc), Maitlan Brown, Erin Burns, Nicola Carey, Ashleigh Gardner, Alyssa Healy, Jess Jonassen, Delissa Kimmince, Tahlia McGrath, Sophie Molineux, Beth Mooney, Ellyse Perry, Megan Schutt, Molly Strano, Annabel Sutherland, Georgia Wareham, Belinda Vakarewa

New Zealand squad: Sophie Devine (c), Suzie Bates, Natalie Dodd, Deanna Doughty, Lauren Down, Maddy Green, Holly Huddleston, Hayley Jenson, Amelia Kerr, Jess Kerr, Rosemary Mair, Katey Martin, Hannah Rowe, Amy Satterthwaite, Lea Tahuhu, Jess Watkin

All matches to be played at Brisbane's Allan Border Field

September 26: First T20, 1:50pm AEST

September 27: Second T20, 1:45pm AEST

September 30: Third T20, 1:45pm AEST

October 3: First ODI, 10:10am AEST

October 5: Second ODI, 10:10am AEST (11:10 AEDT)

October 7: Third ODI, 10:10am AEST (11:10 AEDT)

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