PERTH, Dec 15: Matthew Hayden eased some of the pressure on his place in the Australian team by scoring an unbeaten 57 in the second innings of the third Ashes Test at the WACA Ground here on Friday.

Heading into the current series the Australian media was full of claims that Hayden's fellow opener, Justin Langer, would be lucky to maintain his place at the top of the order.

With a host of former players criticising the Australian team for being too old, the 36-year-old Langer was seen to be more at risk than Hayden, who is only one year younger than his opening partner.

After a modest return of 88 runs at an average of 22.00 in the first two Tests and a score of 24 in the first innings here, speculation was beginning to mount that Hayden would have to soon make way for New South Wales opener Phil Jaques.

But his efforts in the second innings may well have ended that speculation, for this series at least.

During the last Ashes, Hayden's poor form saw him in grave danger of being dropped until he scored a battling 138 in the last Test at The Oval. He followed that century with another three in succession, becoming only the third player in history to score centuries in four consecutive Tests.

With the pitch flattening out in Perth's hot weather, Hayden has every chance to score a big hundred on Saturday and head towards the Boxing Day Test with his Test spot firmly in the bag.—AFP