On this day in 2003: Matthew Hayden scores a sizzling triple hundred against Zimbabwe

One of Australia’s most destructive batsmen, Matthew Lawrence Hayden had a glorious career in international cricket for 15 years. The southpaw was known for his powerful and aggressive style and could get quick runs in ODI as well as in Tests. Though the Australian cricket fraternity has seen great players coming and showing their class in different periods of time, Hayden stands out because of specific records to his name.

Hayden holds the record of being the highest run-getter in Tests by an Australian batsman. In the same light, it is the highest individual score (380) by any batsman as an opener for his side. His breathtaking 380 against Zimbabwe in the 2003 Perth Test will be a show to remember forever. On the back of his thunderous knock, the Kangaroos won the one-sided match by an innings and 175 runs. Hayden was named as the player of the match, undoubtedly.

How it started

In the 1st Test against Zimbabwe, Australia batted first and declared on a gigantic 735/6. Another terrific batsman from their side, Adam Gilchrist, played like an ODI-like knock, producing 113 runs off 94 balls. Steve Waugh made his contribution to the big score by adding 78 runs. Little did anyone know that Hayden was going to crush the bowling line up of Zimbabwe terribly.

When he arrived at the crease, it looked like he would bat forever. Producing 380 from his bat, Hayden achieved new milestones and helped his team breach the huge 700-run mark. Sean Ervine from the opposite end was the only effective bowler as he named four dismissals to his credit.

When Zimbabwe showed up with the bat, they never looked prepared to tackle such a huge score. The highest run-getter from their end was Trevor Gripper, who scored 53 off 135 balls. Craig Wishart managed 46 from his bat as the Zimbabwe team collapsed on 239. Jason Gillespie and Brett Lee took three wickets each to help their side.

In the 2nd innings that Zimbabwe played, some respectable scores came from the bat of Mark Vermeulen (63 off 120), Heath Streak (71 of 215), and Sean Ervine (53 off 98). However, the team ended their entire show on 321 and handed the hosts a huge victory.

Hayden’s career at a glance

In 103 Tests that he played, he scored 8625 runs and scored 6133 runs in 161 ODIs. He was known for stitching one of the most brilliant partnerships in Test cricket with Justin Langer and did the same with Adam Gilchrist in ODI cricket. When he bid farewell to Test cricket in 2009, he averaged 50.7 and had scored the second-highest runs in Tests by an opening batsman. He drew curtains on his international career in 2012.

Apart from being a prolific batsman, he was a great fielder at slips for the Australian side and took 128 catches during his Test career. Hayden also played nine T20Is for his national side, including the inaugural edition of the ICC World T20 in 2007. He is remembered as one of the greatest batsmen in world cricket for his splendid innings and was inducted in the Australian Cricket Hall of Fame in 2017.