Published 15:57 IST, September 29th 2020
Dean Jones death: When Australian denied $66,000 offer from Indian bookmaker in early 90s
Dean Jones death: Here we look at an incident from the 1990s where the batsman was approached by an Indian bookmaker in Sri Lanka with a lucrative offer.
Former Australian cricketer-turned analyst Dean Jones sadly passed away on September 24 as the 59-year-old unexpectedly suffered from a cardiac arrest. The Australian was a member of the ongoing Dream11 IPL 2020 broadcasters team. The Australian legend is widely acclaimed for the flair with which he played the sport and there are many such fascinating incidents from his playing days that are example worthy for the younger generation.
Dean Jones had revealed in a YouTube interview about being approached by an Indian bookmaker, MK Gupta, in the early 1990s. Jones had mentioned that it was former Indian cricketer Manoj Prabhakar who introduced him with the bookmaker in Sri Lanka. MK Gupta had laid down an offer of $66,000 for the Australian in exchange for sharing information from the team's dressing room with him. Dean Jones had revealed that he did not find this ideal and let it pass.
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Dean Jones death: When the cricketer turned down an Indian bookmaker
The bookmaker had offered him $50,000 for just providing information on the team's playing combination, pitch, fitness, etc. As Jones refused it straight away, the cash offered increased to $66,000. Dean Jones revealed how Gupta had all those currency notes in a cake tin can. The cricketer politely refused and duly reported the same to Allan Border and the Australian team manager. This incident is yet another testimony of why he was regarded as one of the greatest ambassadors of the game.
Many cricket pundits from the 90s believe that had Cricket Australia and the ICC have taken Jones' information seriously about the menace of betting and corruption increasing in the game, acts such as spot-fixing and match-fixing could have been dealt with on a much more larger and controlled basis. A few years, Australian cricket was rocked by a scandal involving Shane Warne and Mark Waugh admitting to accepting money from bookies for giving them vital match information during one of their Indian subcontinent tours.
Dean Jones, who was in Mumbai for a Dream11 IPL 2020 show, collapsed in his hotel as he suffered a cardiac arrest. Brett Lee was very close to the cricketer and has great admiration for Jones till date. Brett Lee, who was present there, attempted to save Jones's life by giving him CPR but could not save him. It was Brett Lee who reportedly called Dean Jones' wife in Australia to break the news of his passing away.
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Tributes and messages began to spread all over the world after the news of his death came out. Dean Jones was undoubtedly one of the most beloved cricket pundits of modern cricket. Considered to be a master of his art, both fans and players still recall his contribution to the sport. Brett Lee is still a part of the Dream11 IPL 2020 broadcasting team and also gave a special tribute to Dean Jones.
Image Source: Dean Jones Instagram
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Updated 15:58 IST, September 29th 2020