'I'm proud of my Indian connection. Why shouldn't I be?'
John Alexander Jameson, who once competed with the likes of Geoff Boycott and John Edrich for a place in the England team, passed into the ages on September 14, 2025.
Born on June 30, 1941, Jameson, one could say was born in the wrong era. An attacking batter, Jameson played just four Tests, but would have slid perfectly into Ben Stokes' 'Bazball' philosophy.
Given his natural style, he'd have found lots of takers in the Indian Premier League, more so for his strong India connections, something he was never shy of admitting.
'I'm proud of my Indian connection. Why shouldn't I be?' Jameson was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo (External link).
Jameson, the 12th of 17 England players to be born in India, was born in Byculla, south central Bombay.
He studied at the popular Cathedral and John Connon school in south Bombay. His father John 'Jimmy' Jameson served with the city police as a deputy commissioner. Jameson Jr therefore spent his childhood living across different neighbourhoods in south Bombay.
According to ESPNCricinfo, Jameson's Indian connection ran deep with both his parents born in India -- Jimmy Jameson in Belgaum, present day Karnataka and Sylvia, his mother, in Deolali, present day Maharashtra.
Jameson Snr was also a hockey player who played in the prestigious Aga Khan tournament and later on went on to umpire in the 1964 (Tokyo) and 1968 (Mexico) Olympics in hockey.
John Jameson later moved to Nainital and studied for a few years at Sherwood College.
In 1955, he moved to England for good and completed his education in Taunton.
This was where he picked up his cricket and then went onto play for Warwickshire for whom he helped win the county championship in 1972 as well as the Gillette Cup in 1966 and 1968.
In 1971 he was selected for the home series against India, a landmark series for the visitors, beating England in England for the very first time!
Rumours had it that there was interest from the Indian board to have him play for his birth nation, but in an interview later Jameson confirmed that those were just that -- rumours.
Jameson had a quiet debut. But in the next game, he played a cracking 82, full of exhuberent shots, including 2 sixes off Bishan Bedi, until a run-out saw him miss a century.
He is one of 24 players and the only England player to be run out twice in the same Test (versus India at The Oval in August 1971).
Jameson scored 214 runs in his 4 Tests with a highest of 82.
According to The Times, London, he was an occasional spinner and also represented England in three One Day Internationals.
He went on to coach at Taunton School before umpiring for a while, and he then took up an administrative post in the MCC.
He lived the later part of his years in Solihull, Birmingham, where he passed away of a heart attack.
'MCC was deeply saddened to hear of the death of John Jameson (Warwickshire & England). In a life dedicated to cricket as a player, coach, umpire and administrator, John's work to protect, improve and promote the Laws and Spirit of the game stands out as exceptional,' The Melbourne Cricket Club wrote on X, condoling his death.
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