Favourite cricketers 14 - Dean Jones

Dean Jones was the best one-day batsman I have ever seen in Derbyshire colours. End of story, no argument.

He had all the shots but his secret was in using them when appropriate, in wonderful placement and the best running between the wickets I have seen - only Michael Bevan and former Middlesex batsman Clive Radley come close.

Deano effectively had just one season with Derbyshire but transformed our fortunes so much that we almost won the title. In the course of that season he scored the little matter of 2553 runs in all competitions, with nine centuries and eight fifties. He was the perfect player in that you just knew that if he got going the innings would be ideally paced. As a captain he demanded maximum effort from all of his team and didn't suffer fools gladly. We once saw him tear a strip off Dominic Cork in pre-match nets at Derby as he felt the latter was larking around. Deano liked a laugh, but cricket was serious and he wouldn't accept slackers. His brusque manner was always going to bring him into conflict with strong characters like Kim Barnett, Phil De Freitas and Cork himself. While Chris Adams idolised him and learned a lot from his style, there were rumours that all was not well in the dressing room.

That season of 1996 was the closest we have come to repeating the glory of 1936. With Jones, aided and abetted by his friend and Victorian coach Les Stillman, pulling the strings, Derbyshire mounted a Championship challenge that looked like being successful until it all came undone at Taunton, when we couldn't quite bowl out Somerset despite Devon Malcolm and De Freitas bowling superbly. We were 27 points behind Leicestershire in second place when it all ended, with a promise of even better to come. We finished only in mid-table in the Sunday League, but Jones contributed some superbly paced innings. I saw him against Gloucestershire that August and in response to the visitors score of 208, Jones opened with Kim Barnett. He was badly dropped at third man early in the innings, but from then on looked in no trouble as Derbyshire produced a very professional run chase to win by eight wickets with plenty of time to spare. Jones reached his century just before Colin Wells sealed the win, his timing as good as ever. Yet he never seemed to be cutting loose and placed the ball into gaps with ease, ran quickly and looked what he was - the best one day batsman in the world.

The following season it all went pear shaped after an imoressive start. He was left unbeaten on 99 when the rain interrupted a victory march against Kent (248-3 chasing 337 to win) but the batting collapsed in successive matches and when Hampshire chased well over 300 to win in 55 overs at Chesterfield Jones resigned, citing poor attitude from senior players. Mid-June and he was on the plane home...

He has remained a volatile character and has got into trouble in the commentary box since his retirement (referring to a bearded Asian cricketer as a "terrorist" was neither big nor clever), but to get a result in any given game to save your life, Dean Jones was a player you would have in your side every time.