IT was predestined that Matthew Hayden, the world’s pre-eminent batsman since the dawn of 2001, had always something extra that defines an exceptional cricketer, even in a star-studded team that Australia possess at the moment.
Steve Waugh, the evergreen Australian skipper, had been saying for months that Hayden is, indeed, the finest current batsman in international cricket despite the presence of luminaries such as Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Rahul Dravid, Michael Vaughan, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Waugh himself.
So it was no great surprise that on Friday Oct 10, 2003, Matthew Lawrence Hayden eclipsed Lara’s nine-year-old world individual Test score of 375 just before tea on the second day of the first Test against Zimbabwe at the Western Australia Cricket Association (WACA) Ground in Perth.
After a stay of 10 hours and 22 minutes or simply 622 minutes, Hayden’s historic epic knock of 380 off 437 balls was terminated by a diving catch at deep square-leg by Stuart Carlise off part-time off-spinner Trevor Gripper.
In becoming only the 16th player in 1661 Tests to hit a triple century, Hayden left the incomparable Donald George Bradman in his wake as he became only the second man ever to amass a triple Test hundred Down Under. Bradman, arguably the greatest ever of all batsmen and the only one with two scores of 300 or more in 1661 Tests to-date, would have been proud of Hayden’s truly monumental achievement had he been alive today.
Critics will obviously question the quality of Hayden’s innings against an ordinary bowling attack that Zimbabwe had. But notching up a triple century in any form of cricket requires a lot of guts and courage.
It must be remembered that Hayden had come into match with virtually no cricket since Bangladesh played Australia in the tropical cities more than two months ago. He was bound to be rusty and a bit off-colour, which was clearly evident when the tall left-hander from Queensland laboured for 308 minutes and 210 to go to his first hundred.
Waugh knew that he and the rest of Australian side were watching history being made when Hayden resumed on that unforgettable second day at his overnight score of 183. “I always had the feeling that Matt was a special player who could easily take a tilt at Lara’s world record.”
Such was Hayden’s dominance that he raced to his double century in 292 deliveries, taking just 82 balls to move from 100 to 200. The third hundred was even more quicker, coming in only 70 balls. During the course of this phenomenal innings, twice he scored 100 runs in a session. Adam Gilchrist, known for his exhilarating batting, cantered to a 94-ball unbeaten 113 in front of his adoring home fans but even that innings was completely overshadowed amid the euphoria of Hayden’s remarkable deed.
Bob Cowper, like Hayden a left-hander, had the distinction of scoring the first triple hundred in a Test in Australia while the great Bradman had come perilously close to making the first in his own country but was left stranded on 299 when last man Hugh Thurlow was run out against South Africa at Adelaide in 1931-32.
In the midst of Hayden’s record-breaking landmark, the Australian total of 735 for six declared was almost forgotten. It was their second highest score in 643 Tests, the highest in 331 home Tests, surpassing 674 against India at Adelaide in 1947-48 in Bradman’s final year and the sixth best in Test history.
From the moment when Hayden made 149 in his maiden first-class innings for Queensland against South Australia at Brisbane in the 1991-92 season, he was earmarked for higher honours. In that same game Allan Border, the Australian captain at the time, contributed 196 and watched Hayden bat in admiration.Included in the squad for the Ashes tour of England in 1993, Hayden failed to make the Test XI in spite of making more than 1,000 runs in first-class matches on the trip. He did make his One-Day debut with moderate success.
Son of a peanut farmer from Kingaroy in Queensland, Hayden holds a unique record of being the only Australian to score 1,000 first-class runs in each of his first three seasons. After a prolific run which saw him strike seven centuries in six games for his state in 1993-94, the 6ft 4in powerful opening batsman was recalled into the national side and broke his thumb on Test debut against South Africa at Johannesburg.
He then watched from the sidelines as Mark Taylor and Michael Slater performed opening duties. But he was back in the groove in the third Test against the West Indies in Melbourne and survived three chances on his way to a maiden Test hundred (125) in Adelaide.
Hayden’s luck finally ran out when he mustered just 64 runs in six Test innings in South Africa and was promptly banished to the confinement of inter-state cricket.
In between, Hayden got opportunities to play on the county circuit in England where he worked diligently for hours in the nets. His confidence gradually started to return as runs flowed from the bat endlessly.
It was an opportunity that Hayden had been yearning for while serving out time in the wilderness. Waugh, probably his greatest admirer around, had cajoled the selectors to recall him for the home series against the West Indies towards the end of 2000. Since then, Australia has only progressed upwards with Hayden leading the charge in the company of his opening partner and his close chum Justin Langer, the nimble-footed small left-hander from Western Australia.
Langer, who only started to open after finding no space in a potent middle-order lineup, combined with Hayden to forge one of the most successful opening pairs in Test cricket. So far, these two have shared nine 100-plus stands and another seven between 50-99 in 24 matches together in which they averaged a splendid 68.12 per stand.
An imposing man, who turns 32 on the 29th of this month, Hayden has been the batsman, bowlers fear most since his comeback almost three years. Of his 3,916 runs in 45 Tests, a staggering 3,380 have come in the last 32 matches at almost 72 per innings. And only one of his 15 Test hundreds was scored before dawn of the 21st century!
If Waugh says that Hayden is the best, then it should be so because such is the calibre of the big but shy left-handed opening batsman from Australia. The odds on Hayden now eclipsing his own record have considerably shortened. What’s the bet?
IT was predestined that Matthew Hayden, the world’s pre-eminent batsman since the dawn of 2001, had always something extra that defines an exceptional cricketer, even in a star-studded team that Australia possess at the moment.
