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Former Australian cricketer Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM, born on October 29, 1971, is a cricket analyst. His fifteen-year career was in the business. With opening partners Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist, Hayden was a strong and aggressive left-handed opening batsman who made a big contribution to Australia’s success in Test and ODI cricket during its “golden era” (2004–2011).
Here are 10 things that you probably didn’t know about Matthew Hayden:
The Early Life
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Hayden was raised in the Kingsroy region of Queensland. He still enjoys visiting the property owned by his family. He started playing cricket when he was a little boy on the family farm. Despite a poor start, he quickly made a name for himself in the junior ranks and, at the age of 22, took home the Baggy Green.
The ‘memorable’ First Class Debut
Two days after turning 20 years old, Hayden made his First-Class debut for Queensland. In his opening game against South Australia, he hit 149. The other centurion in that inning was Allan Border. Later that year, against the visiting West Indians, Hayden made his List A debut. He played for 49 but left a lasting effect.
A two-part international career
Two periods make up Hayden’s international career: before and after 2001. In March 1994 in Johannesburg, he played his first Test and scored 20 runs. He had sporadic appearances in 13 Tests between 1994 and 2001, scoring 24.36 runs per innings. He then played in 90 Test matches, averaging 54.65 runs per innings. His One-Day International (ODI) career reflects the same. From 1993 until 2001, he averaged 29.81, and from March 2001 to the present, 45.61.
The episode of Glenn McGrath
Although they continue to have a wonderful connection and have participated in many memorable Australian victories, Hayden and Glenn McGrath had a horrific argument in the early part of 1995. At the time, Zimbabwe was playing in a quadrangular series with Australia, England, and Australia, and Australia had a strong A side. Finally, Australia and Australia A advanced to the championship match, where the following events took place.
Hayden spoke about the event on the Cricket Australia website years afterwards. “I hit him through the backward point, and as I was turning to see if I needed to run or if it was to save your legs,’ I ran straight into the corner of his arm,” he explained. Having not witnessed it, I assumed he had purposefully extended his arm at that time. So the whole ‘screw you’ think has shown itself in both of us. It was fantastic. I recall it vividly, as well as the post-match legal proceedings. The ICC match referee was John Reid of New Zealand, but he wasn’t sanctioned because it wasn’t an official international, therefore he had no jurisdiction.
So I went up there thinking the whole thing was a joke. In my opinion, not much has happened – you’re going to create a rivalry between two heavies of the game, a fast bowler and an opening batsman. So I strolled up to the SCG with a drink in my hand, and there was (former Australia team manager) Steve Bernard, Mark Taylor, and ‘Pidge’ (McGrath) sitting around this table, and this Reid character yelled to me, ‘What do you effing think this is? A vacation? Son, put your beer down and show some effing respect!’ I thought, ‘Oh, I’m gone here,’ but he didn’t have any jurisdiction, so we both got away with a warning.
We’re still talking about it. Pidge came over to my apartment about six months ago, and you wouldn’t believe it, but (the event) flashed up on TV, and to this day we are still fighting about it – ‘Mate, you pushed me’. ‘I didn’t shove you; you were just in my face,’ she says. “And Kel, my wife, just said: ‘Boys, it’s 20 years ago – you’ve got to let it go!'”
The amazing turnaround
The 2001 Australian tour of India will go down in history as one of the best series ever played between the two nations. The series ended in a 2-1 defeat for the visitors, who were picked to destroy India, but it was a turning point for Hayden. Hayden secured his spot in the Australian top order for a very long time by scoring 549 runs in three Test matches on challenging turning tracks.
The near-death experience
Hayden and Andrew Symonds both enjoy fishing. In the year 2000, Hayden, Symonds, and a third friend went fishing, and the boat capsized. The group had to swim for more than three hours to get to an island after becoming stuck in deep water. Hayden had to bring Symonds along with him in addition to doing it. Bear in mind that the sea included sharks.
Opening with Justin Langer
When Hayden announced his retirement, Justin Langer, his longtime opening partner, called him the “best ever opener from Australia.” Over the years, Hayden and Langer developed a potent Test partnership. On the list of the highest partnership runs in a Test career, they are fourth. They averaged 51.53 runs per inning while scoring 6,081 runs.
“Justin and I have very similar values,” Hayden remarked of Langer in an interview with CricketCountry. We have a fantastic relationship. “I was always inspired by Justin as an individual, by his work and sense of camaraderie, by his dedication to being a team player, and by his incredible understanding of the game as an individual and as a culture.” This resulted in an instant attraction to Justin.”
The World Record
In Perth, Australia, in October 2003, against a visiting Zimbabwean team, Hayden pounded 380, breaking the previous record. He surpassed Brian Lara’s previous record for the highest solo Test score of 375. His strike rate was close to 87 as he scored 380 runs on 437 balls. His reign was short-lived, though, as Lara beat his record with a 400 in less than six months.
The Chef
Hayden is a major food enthusiast who loves to cook a lot. Additionally, he has written a few cookbooks. 2004 saw the release of The Matthew Hayden Cookbook, and 2006 saw the publication of The Matthew Hayden Cookbook 2.
Post-playing days
Hayden is involved in charitable activities and is frequently spotted playing cricket and serving as a pundit. He recently helped young cricketers in Noida, India. He takes his work as a chef and a professional speaker very seriously.
Also Read: Top 5 Super Over Performances In The History Of Cricket
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