Birthday Special: Matthew Hayden – The giant opener who left bowlers in fear
Former Australian cricketer and commentator Matthew Hayden graced the cricket field for 15 glorious years. A powerful and aggressive batsman, Hayden was known for his ability to score runs in no time in ODI and Tests. The cricketer holds the record of registering the highest individual score for Kangaroos in the longest format of the game (380). It is also the record highest score by any player in Tests who opened the innings for his side.
Hayden’s terrific double ton against India (201) in Chennai stands to be the second-highest score by a batsman on Indian soil. He stitched one of the widely appreciated partnerships with Justin Langer and replicated the same heroics in ODIs with Adam Gilchrist. When he bid adieu to his international stint, his Test average stood at a splendid 50.7. He also holds the record for being the second-highest run-getter in the capacity of an opener and was on the same level as Jacques Kallis.
A giant of the game
Hayden’s career-best in ODIs came against New Zealand in 2007, where he played an unbeaten knock of 181 runs to shake the opponents. By the time he was at his very peak, the T20 format was not as relevant, but he appeared in nine T20 internationals, including the inaugural edition of the 2007 T20 World Cup. He turned out to be the batsman who amassed the highest runs in the tournament (265). The southpaw drew curtains on his career across all formats in 2012. In 2017, he was honoured by being inducted into the precious Hall of Fame.
With 30 Tests and 10 ODI centuries to his name, Hayden remained the batsman bowlers feared all the time. Apart from centuries, he has 29 Test, 36 ODI, and three T20I half-centuries to his credit. He appeared in 103 Test matches and scored 8625 runs and in 161 ODIs, he amassed 6133 runs. He plied his trade in IPL for three initial years for the Chennai Super Kings. After his retirement, Hayden has been working with cricket authorities of Australia to raise the profile of the game.
Apart from cricket, he is an occasional cook and gave treats of his hand-cooked meals to his teammates while being on tours. He also published his cookbook in 2004 titled ‘The Matthew Hayden Cookbook’.
