Top 10 things you didn’t know about Matthew Hayden

Matthew Lawrence Hayden AM (born 29 October 1971) is a former Australian cricketer and cricket pundit. His professional career lasted fifteen years. Hayden was a powerful and aggressive left-handed opening batsman who, together with opening partners Justin Langer and Adam Gilchrist, contributed significantly to Australia’s success in Test and ODI cricket during its “golden era” (2004-2011). 

Check out the things that you probably didn’t know about Matthew Hayden:

The Early Life

Hayden grew up in the Queensland country of Kingsroy. He still enjoys spending time on his family’s farm there. His cricket career began at a young age, when he played on his family farm. It was a slow transition, but he soon established himself in the junior ranks and won the Baggy Green at the age of 22.

The ‘memorable’ First Class Debut

Hayden made his First-Class debut for Queensland two days after turning 20. He hit 149 in his first innings against South Australia. Allan Border was the other centurion in that inning. Later that year, Hayden made his List A debut against the visiting West Indians. He was out for 49, but he had made an impression.

A two-part international career

Hayden’s international career is divided into two parts: before and after 2001. He made his Test debut in March 1994 in Johannesburg, scoring 20 runs. Between 1994 and 2001, he made irregular appearances in 13 Tests, scoring 24.36 runs per innings. Following that, he appeared in 90 Tests and averaged 54.65 runs per innings. The same is true of his One-Day International (ODI) career. He averaged 29.81 from 1993 to 2001, and 45.61 from March 2001 to the present.

The episode of Glenn McGrath

They have been a part of many memorable victories for Australia and continue to enjoy a fantastic relationship, but in early 1995, Hayden and Glenn McGrath had a terrible fight. Australia had a dominant A side at the time, and they were engaged in a quadrangular series with Australia, England, and Zimbabwe. In the end, Australia and Australia A advanced to the final, where the following occurred.

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

Australia’s 2001 tour of India will be remembered as one of the finest series ever played between the two countries. The visitors, who were anticipated to smash India, lost the series 2-1, but it was a turning point for Hayden. Hayden collected 549 runs in three Tests on tricky turning wickets, ensuring his place in the Australian top order for many years to come.

The near-death experience

Both Andrew Symonds and Hayden like fishing. Hayden, Symonds, and another friend went fishing in 2000, and the boat sank. The trio was stranded in deep water and had to swim for more than three hours to reach an island. Not only did Hayden do it, but he had to bring Symonds along with him. Remember, there were sharks in the sea.

Opening with Justin Langer

When Hayden announced his retirement, his long-time opening partner Justin Langer referred to him as the “best ever opener from Australia.” Hayden and Langer forged a powerful Test partnership over the years. They are fourth on the list of highest partnership runs in a Test career. They scored 6,081 runs in 122 innings, averaging 51.53. They were standing on 14th century stands.

“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

Hayden set a record in October 2003 when he bludgeoned 380 against a visiting Zimbabwe team in Perth. Brian Lara’s previous maximum solo Test score of 375 was broken by him. He scored 380 runs on 437 balls, for a strike rate of nearly 87. However, his reign was brief; in less than six months, Lara recovered his record with an unbroken 400.

The Chef

Hayden is a huge foodie who is really passionate about cooking. He has also published a few of cookbooks. The Matthew Hayden Cookbook, released in 2004, and The Matthew Hayden Cookbook 2, published in 2006.

Post-playing days

Hayden is active in charity work and is frequently seen in the capacity of cricket and commentator. He was recently in Noida, India, assisting young cricketers. He is also a professional speaker and cooks very seriously. 

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