Player profile Full name Matthew Lawrence Hayden
Born October 29, 1971, Kingaroy, Queensland
Current age 35 years 179 days
Major teams Australia, Hampshire, ICC World XI, Northamptonshire, Queensland
Nickname Haydos
Playing role Opening batsman
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Height 1.88 m
Career statistcs
Test debut South Africa v Australia at Johannesburg - Mar 4-8, 1994
Last Test Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 2-5, 2007
ODI debut England v Australia at Manchester - May 19, 1993
Last ODI Australia v South Africa at Gros Islet - Apr 25, 2007
Twenty20 Int. debut England v Australia at Southampton - Jun 13, 2005
Last Twenty20 Int. Australia v England at Sydney - Jan 9, 2007
First-class span 1991/92 - 2006/07
List A span 1991/92 - 2006/07
Twenty20 span 2005 - 2006/07
NotesAllan Border Medal 2002
Test Player of the Year - 2002
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 2003
ProfileStrength is Matthew Hayden's strength - both mental and physical. It enabled him to shrug off years of carping that he was technically too limited for Test cricket because of the way he played around his front pad, and it enabled him to touch rarefied heights of batsmanship. Before his maiden first-class innings, he asked if anyone had made 200 on debut, then went out and hit 149. The runs have rarely abated since. Tall, powerful and equipped with concentration befitting the fisherman and surfer that he is, he batters the ball at and through the off side for days at a time. He has also made himself a fine catcher in the slips and gully.
Hayden's earliest Tests were exclusively against South Africa and West Indies, a trial for any opener. They were not auspicious, but patience and willpower have since won the day, especially since the tour of India in 2000-01, where he slog-swept his way to 549 runs, an Australian record for a three-Test series. By the end of 2001 he had broken Bob Simpson's Australian mark for most Test runs in a calendar year - Ricky Ponting first topped Hayden's 1391 in 2003 - and formed a prodigiously prolific opening partnership with Justin Langer. Belatedly he came good in the one-day arena too, and by the time the 2003 World Cup rolled around he was ranked among the top three batsmen in both forms of the game. Later that year he hammered 380 against Zimbabwe at Perth, briefly borrowing the Test record from Brian Lara, and in mid-2004 he was at it again, battering Sri Lanka for twin centuries that took his tally to 20 in only 55 Tests.
Weary through years of plunder and a difficult India tour, Hayden experienced an extended slump during 2004-05 and was initially replaced as one-day opener by Michael Clarke. His lack of form and footwork continued against England and his disastrous series only improved at The Oval with 138. It was the awkward beginning of a resurgence that saved his career and thrust him towards more mature domination. Usually playing more patiently, he followed his south London renaissance with three hundreds in successive matches, becoming the third player next to Bradman and Barrington to score four in a row twice, and passed 1000 runs in a calendar year for the fifth time. After reaching three figures on five occasions during 2005-06 and adding 153 at the MCG a year later, he stands behind only Bradman, Ponting and Waugh on Australia's list of century-makers. Regaining the Ashes brought tears to Hayden's eyes and he was also saddened when Langer retired at the end of the series, although his mood lifted when he won back his one-day place. In the final match of the 2006-07 Chappell-Hadlee series he thumped an Australian-record 181 off 166 balls, which included ten sixes and again showed his impressive power.
-
Cricinfo staff February 2007
Thu 26 Apr - 10:43