Australia’s men’s domestic 50-over tournament has been renamed in honour of the Victorian batter who revolutionised the game. The name of a cricketer before his time now adorns a contest of yesterday. The men’s domestic 50-over competition was renamed the Dean Jones Trophy on Friday following a fan vote and recommendation from the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame committee.
![[Jack Snape]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/uploads/2023/07/11/Jack_Snape.png?width=75&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
The Victorian – who died of a stroke in 2020 – was chosen over Michael Bevan and Andrew Symonds. Bevan, the only one of the three still alive, will be recognised in the awarding of the Michael Bevan Medal for player of the match in the final. Jones’ wife Jane, at the unveiling of the trophy at the MCG on Friday alongside daughters Phoebe and Augusta, said although his death feels recent, time marches on. “We’re at that stage now where we love talking about him, love having some sort of acknowledgement that we can be part of,” she said. “It’s not so painful.”.
![[Dean Jones’ wife Jane and daughters Augusta and Phoebe at the MCG with Cricket Victoria CEO, Nick Cummins, and Cricket Australia chief of cricket, James Allsopp]](https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/c0925e91fcc3cea4360528e2ea169beedd64eb73/0_59_6000_3600/master/6000.jpg?width=445&dpr=1&s=none&crop=none)
Cricket Victoria chief executive, Nick Cummins, said Jones was an appropriate choice, given the way he changed cricket. “Those who saw him play, the way that he transformed one-day cricket from being a shorter version of Test cricket to playing a game that we just take for granted now,” he said, adding Jones’ trademark sunglasses – then rarely seen on the field of play – were part of his identity.
