Matthew Hayden by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:

ML Hayden

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DateLine: 17th April 2009

 

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 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.

 

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 middle-aged domination. Usually playing more patiently, he became 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 stood behind only Bradman, Ponting and Waugh on Australia's list of century-makers. With three hundreds in consecutive games against India in 2007-08, he quickly leapfrogged Bradman's 29.

 

More muscle was on display at the World Cup as he averaged 73.22 in scoring 659 runs, the most at the tournament, and he later revealed he was carrying a fractured toe and a broken bone in his other foot. A frightening 66-ball century against South Africa and he completed a dream trip by scoring another two hundreds and winning the World Cup for the second time.

 

A year later he was back in the Caribbean only briefly, returning home without playing a Test due to an Achilles injury suffered during training while on Indian Premier League duty. Australia's top order lost strength without him. He had been keen to push on until the 2009 Ashes but a disappointing home summer in 2008-09 prompted him to announce his retirement.