ML Hayden of Australia

Full Name:

Matthew Lawrence Hayden

DoB:

Friday, October 29, 1971

Birthplace:

Kingaroy

Teams:

Queensland

Test Debut:

v South Africa at Johannesburg (Wanderers), 1994

ODI Debut:

v England at Manchester (Old Trafford), 1993

Bats:

LH

Bowls:

RAM

Player Record:

link to stats

Matthew Hayden has an overall Test record which argues for a place in the pantheon of great Test opening batsmen.

He averaged 53.46 going into the Ashes series and has defied critics who claimed his technique was too limited for Tests by making 20 hundreds in aggressive style.

However there are a number of arguments against his place amongst the greats of the game and there is the feeling that, at 33, he still has something to prove.

First of all his average falls to 47.33 if his Tests against minnows Bangladesh and Zimbabwe are taken away. It was against a depleted Zimbabwe that he bullied his way to 380 in 2003, a Test record until Brian Lara reclaimed it against England last spring.

An average of 47.33 is still in the top ranks, but Hayden has suffered a prolonged slump of form and had a top score of only 70 in 22 innings spread over four series, prior to the Ashes.

He also has something to prove in England, where he made only one fifty in the last Ashes series here and never adapted to the different conditions.

Left-handed opener Matthew Hayden was incredibly prolific for a number of years, but he has been struggling over the last 12 months.

Last year he blamed his form on a mystery illness and then said it was fatigue because of the over-crowded schedule, which doesn't suggest the calmest state of mind.

He worries me because he's become a bit of a bully as a batsman and there's too much anger in his demeanour. He's never been a finesser of the ball, but he used to be subtler than he is now.

The old Hayden would accumulate and then be explosive but he now wants to overpower bowlers. It can make him too aggressive and cause his technique to loosen up a bit.

He is still a tough competitor, looks in better shape than he did in New Zealand and seems more focused at the crease. But part of the problem may be a disillusionment with the constant travelling, because he's very family-oriented and loves his hobbies, such as fishing and cooking.