Matthew Hayden, Australian cricketer, retiring
Australian batsman Matthew Hayden announced his retirement from International cricket on Tuesday, drawing stumps on a dazzling career as one Matthew Hayden was dropped from Australia’s squad after the Test series against South Africa.
“Today I’m announcing my retirement from representative cricket, effective immediately,” he read from a prepared statement. “I know that now is the time to move on. This is a decision that I’ve not taken lightly and I’m here after much thought and consideration and discussion with my family.”
The 37-year-old had planned to retire after this year’s Ashes tour of England but told a Brisbane news conference he knew his time to quit had come.
Hayden, a powerfully built left-hander and prolific run-scorer, played 103 Tests for Australia between 1994 and 2009, scoring 8,625 runs at an average of 50.73.
Hayden was just as effective as a One-day player, amassing 6,131 runs from 161 appearances and featuring in the Australian teams that won the 2003 and 2007 World Cups.
The Queenslander completed 30 centuries including 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003, which briefly stood as the world record for the highest Test score.
“There are zero regrets when it comes to my cricket performance. Rightly or wrongly I have tried to extract every ounce of ability I have been given and turned it into performance,” he said.
Hayden was a key member of an Australian team that dominated world cricket for the past decade, forming a devastating opening partnership with fellow lefthander Justin Langer. Yet, Hayden’s career will be remembered as much for his stubborn fight against adversity as the number and manner of runs he scored.
He was dropped after his first Test in 1994 and made only six appearances before finally establishing himself as a permanent member of the team in 2000.
He enjoyed a golden run over the next five seasons, piling on the runs and scooping up awards, before his age finally starting to catch up with him and his team mates starting to disappear.
He fought his way back into the One-day team to play a starring role at the 2007 World Cup in West Indies but speculation about his future had intensified over the past year.
His position in the Test side became a subject of national debate after a lean run of scores and his retirement came as little surprise after he was dropped from the One-day team last week and selectors revealed he was no longer certain of making the Ashes squad.
Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Langer and Damien Martyn all retired during the 2006-07 Ashes series and Adam Gilchrist quit a year ago. Hayden’s position in the team was starting to come under scrutiny but he vowed to play on.
“I believe I could play Twenty20 and One-day cricket but I recognised it is time to move on. I needed to step away from the bubble of international cricket and look at my life. On reflection I have made the correct decision. I’ve lived the dream of every kid who has ever picked up a bat and ball and wanted to wear the baggy green,” he said.
Career History of Matthew Hayden:
* Born Oct. 29 1971, Kingaroy, Australia. Left-hand batsman.
* Test debut in 1994, scoring 15 and five against South Africa in Johannesburg, but did not play again for almost two years. Played another five Tests, making his first Test hundred against West Indies in Adelaide in 1997, then dropped again, this time for three years. Made his second comeback in March 2000 and established himself as a permanent member of the Australian Test team in a formidable partnership with fellow opener Justin Langer.
* Played 103 Tests, scoring 8,625 runs at an average of 50.73. Has made a highest Test score of 380 and 30 centuries. Played in 161 One-Day Internationals, scoring 6,133 runs at an average of 43.80.
* Made first double-hundred (203) against India in Madras in March 2001 then scored four centuries in a row later that season to be named Australia’s player of the year for 2002. Was named Wisden Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2003 after helping Australia win the World Cup in South Africa then broke Brian Lara’s world record for the highest Test score when he made 380 against Zimbabwe. Lara reclaimed the record four months later with the first Test quadruple-century.
* Lost his place in the Australian One-day team in 2004 and again in 2005 but earned a recall in 2006 and set an Australian ODI record of 181 not out against New Zealand in 2007. Helped Australia win the 2007 World Cup, finishing as the tournament’s leading run scorer with 659 runs at 73.22 including three centuries.
* Played his last Test against South Africa in Sydney in January 2009. Was dropped from the One-day team then announced his retirement the following week.
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