As a tribute to former Australian cricketer Dean Jones, who died in September during the Indian Premier League, Indian and Australian players wore black armbands and observed a minute’s silence ahead of the first One Day International match on Friday. 

Jones, who played 52 Test matches for Australia, was in Mumbai as part of the IPL’s commentary panel when he died on September 24 following a cardiac arrest. 

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Cricket Australia (CA) has announced two tributes in memory of his life, PTI reported. 

“The first celebration will come at Friday’s opening one-day international against India at the SCG when there will be a minute’s silence before play and both nations will don black armbands. There will also be a highlights package of his grand career on the big screen,” PTI quoted from a report in the ‘Sydney Morning Herald’. 

India are scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is ahead of the much-anticipated four-match Test series, known as the Border Gasvaskar Trophy, which begins on December 17 with a Day-Night match at Adelaide. 

CA has arranged for a second tribute on the opening day of the second Test match on December 26 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), where Jones was a fan-favourite during his playing days. 

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“The biggest honour, however, will be saved for the showcase event that is the Boxing Day Test at the MCG. The tribute will be held at the tea break at 3.24pm on day one, where Jones’ wife Jane and family will be in attendance,” the report said.

“A poem written by local writer Chris Driscol in the wake of Jones’ death will be recited, while there will be a tribute banner inside the seating bowl across a bay of seats for the entire Test. Other plans are also being discussed.”

Jones’ highest First-Class score was 324, in addition to his Test cap number being 324, leading to CA’s decision to pay the tribute at 3:24 pm. 

Jones scored 3,631 runs, including 11 centuries in Tests, along with 6,063 runs in ODIs.