For those with no knowledge of the game of cricket --imagine a player with Ichiro Suzuki's eye for the ball, speed and throwing arm, throw in Barry Bonds' power and Carl Ripken Jr.'s mental and physical toughness and you will come up with Dean Mervyn Jones.

Jones was arguably the most popular cricketer in Australia during the 1980s -- no mean feet given the presence of players such as Allan Border, David Boon and Steve Waugh. An effortless striker of the ball, he was straight in defense and savage in attack. Add to that his swift and sensational running between the wickets, his cat-like reflexes when fielding in the covers and his whole-hearted commitment and you can see why the Australian public (and cricket fans worldwide) held him in such awe.

In just his third test match Jones played one of the greatest innings of all time in only the second ever tied test. His knock of 210 in the stifling heat of Chennai, India came at a cost as he was rushed from the ground to hospital where he was placed on a saline drip. A year later in 1987 Jones was instrumental in helping Australia win the World Cup and laid the foundations for the dynasty that has dominated world cricket ever since.

A master of both test match cricket (3,631 runs at an average of 46.55) and the one-day game (6,068 runs at an average of 44.61) Jones has seen and done it all and as such it was quite a coup for the growing number of cricketers in Japan that the Japan Cricket Association was able to host the Victorian batsman at the Yokohama Athletic and Country Club on May 5, where he gave a coaching clinic to a number of local players -- both male and female.

In an exclusive interview with The Japan Times, Jones talked about his involvement with East Asian cricket as well as his colorful career.

Japan Times: So what brings you over here?

Dean Jones: The International Cricket Council has given each test country an area to look after and Australia has been given the East Asia and Pacific region. The Australia Cricket Board has then delegated those responsibilities to the six states. I have a contract with Victoria dealing with promotions and development and we look after Korea and Japan, which is why I am here.