Dean Jones deported from Pakistan airport

Former Australia Test batsman Dean Jones was deported by immigration authorities at the Islamabad international airport today for not having a valid visa to travel to Pakistan.
Jones, who has been named head coach of the Islamabad United team in the Pakistan Super League, landed at the Benazir Bhutto international airport early morning only find that his Pak visa had expired.
"But we found out that he didn't have a valid visa to enter Pakistan and we have deported him as per immigration laws," an official in the immigration department at the airport told PTI.
Jones reached Islamabad to take part in the players draft to be held for the five franchises on Monday and Tuesday in Lahore.

Sources said that Jones had tried to contact the Islamabad franchise owners and the Pakistan Cricket Board to help him resolve the visa issue but was told he didn't have a valid visa.
Jones is among a list of foreign coaches signed up by the PSL franchises for the tournament to be held in UAE from February 4.

Jones has visited Pakistan in the past for commentary assignments and recently also appeared as an expert for the state owned television channel.
"He didn't realise that his visa had expired for his stay in Pakistan. Once he has a valid visa he can comeback," the immigration official said.

The BCCI is in the process of finalising the coach for
Team India but Jones, who coached Islamabad in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) last season, said he's not in the running.
"No, I'm not going anywhere. Teams are mainly led by great captains. I think India have great leaders in Kohli, Dhoni and a lot of good senior players... Whoever coaches them will do a good job.
"The CAC of VVS, Sourav and Sachin are following the right process to make a proper decision. It's the number one/best job in the world as a coach. You shoulders are under more pressure but at the same time whoever they pick will do a fantastic job," he said.

"I'm too busy commentating. I really enjoyed the coaching job with Islamabad in the PSL. Coaching a national team is completely different, where you're not only managing players but coaching them as well. But in franchise it's about just managing and getting the selection process right."
"It's a great game. I just feel privileged that I'm at 55 and still earning a living from the game and I still enjoying just as much as I did when I was young."
Jones, who is here as an expert commentator for pink ball day/night multiday game in India, said it's high time that the Test cricket's timings are changed to suit to the lifestyle of today's busy officegoers.

"At the moment, all the heady stuff has gone into T20 and ODIs. So it's about time we start to look after our Test cricket," he said on the pink ball day/night Test.
"People are very busy today. They might watch it on social media but they don't actually get a chance to go to the stadium and watch a match. The opening hours of the Test 'cricket shop' has been wrong."
"We are not going to say this going to happen all the time. But maybe one in eight Tests played around the world will be a pink ball. It's just the matter of players getting used to it."

"If we don't look after the game, we're going to lose them. We don't want that to happen. We got to teach our kids how important the Test cricket is. The contribution of Dravid, Ganguly, Tendulkar, Kapil Dev's and the all the greats," he said.
So far only one day/night Test is played when Australia defeated New Zealand in three days at the Adelaide Oval in November last year as the turnout was a huge success.
"It's proven in Australia that people will watch it at night if you have good teams playing against each other," Jones who did the commentary in the historic Test said.

The only thing Jones likes to change is the colour of the sight-screen from white to black.
For Jones, the Eden where they had won the 1987 World Cup
was very special.
"Two of the greatest cricketing days of life is here when we won the World Cup and when we won the Ashes in England (1989). For me, it's not about scoring a hundred or a double. I've always played to win. That's the way Aussies are brought up. When you're emotionally spent for me was when we won the World Cup and when the Ashes."
Jones' 210 against India in Chennai (then Madras) came in the second-ever tied Test in September 1986, and the former Aussie batsman said they're planning to celebrate 30 years of that epic match that was a start of a great realationship.

"I was talking to the Star Sports. Hopefully something will be done to celebrate 30 years. It was a start of a great relationship between India and Australia. We had a great relationship anyway, but it took to another level.
"It's not just the game that happened but the friendships that were created from that particular tour is still prevalent. You've got Gavaskar-Border Trophy now. (Ravi) Shastri and Kapil (Dev) is a dear Paaji of mine. It's been really cool."
Jones agreed that in terms of competitiveness and quality, the best was the tour of 2001.
"Of course, we followed that up with the 2001 tour that was probably the greatest in terms of quality Test series I've ever seen. It's just up there. It was just terrific cricket, batsmanship, bowling fielding and everything. It had everything."

"Hopefully, we will do something more importanty to remind the young kids how we got here now in the Test cricket. A lot of Test cricket will be played this year. It's up to us to tell the story, and trying to get the message across," he signed off.