Should Matthew Hayden retire?

[howardj]

DWTA

His case is that "it worked when we dropped Healy and M Waugh" but we had Gilchrist to replace Healy with (and he'd been in the ODI side for a while) and ample replacements who had made a lot of runs against better quality domestic bowlers for longer than any Hayden replacements we have now.

Also, Hayden is one of the few senior players left in the team. Losing him will hurt Australia more than the extra 20 runs per game is costing us at the moment. Experienced players lift the newer players into doing their roles better.

We will have to rebuild our team in the future, but now is not the time to blood a new batsman in place of Hayden.

I strongly disagree. On the contrary, now is the perfect time to drop him. Australian cricket is not in crisis. We don't need Hayden there to shore things up - as though his removal will see us plummet to the depths. With Symonds and Lee injured (both of whom were under serious pressure) Hayden making way for Hughes should have been the one modest change made by the selectors. The idea that one is panicking by dropping a declining, out of form 37 year old, when we've already got steady, experienced players like Ponting, Clarke, Katich and Hussey in the team, is frankly absurd.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I'd say it's his choice, to echo Sanz & uppercut. If he feels he still has something to offer (and I suspect a man of his obvious ego would) it's his right to go on, even if popular opinion suggests he's on the downward slide.

If he isn't performing tho the selectors should have the balls to get rid, regardless of what has gone before. A test spot should never be a sinecure.

As an aside I don't really buy the "retire or be dropped" option as a public fig-leaf either. Does anyone really think, say, Lara or SR Waugh would've gone when they if they weren't being leaned on?

Pretty much stand by that still, except to say I now think the selectors are clearly being derelict in their duties not to drop him.

One sympathises with them, Hayden has been such a great player he deserves to go out on his own terms, but sadly life doesn't always give champions the denouement they deserve, as I'm sure DG Bradman would've confirmed.

 

[silentstriker]

On a completely unrelated note, his average has dropped below Sehwag's. Not that the number implies anything (Hayden IMO the much better player), but there were many on this forum, during Sehwag's bad form, who thought it'd never happen.

 

[Ikki]

On a completely unrelated note, his average has dropped below Sehwag's. Not that the number implies anything (Hayden IMO the much better player), but there were many on this forum, during Sehwag's bad form, who thought it'd never happen.

I'm sure a certain someone will also use Sehwag as his new whipping boy when Hayden retires also.

 

[pup11]

I strongly disagree. On the contrary, now is the perfect time to drop him. Australian cricket is not in crisis. We don't need Hayden there to shore things up - as though his removal will see us plummet to the depths. With Symonds and Lee injured (both of whom were under serious pressure) Hayden making way for Hughes should have been the one modest change made by the selectors. The idea that one is panicking by dropping a declining, out of form 37 year old, when we've already got steady, experienced players like Ponting, Clarke, Katich and Hussey in the team, is frankly absurd.

I agree with most of the stuff what are you saying in there, and my understanding about the whole issue is that Hayden and selectors have had a communication and Hayden might have told them what his future plans are and he obviously might have let them know that he isn't retiring atm, so the selectors have decided to show faith in a player of his caliber, now this a huge punt because we all know how valuable an in-form Matty Hayden can be for Australia, but if he fails to get back among the runs and for example, if it gets to a stage where selectors are forced to drop him after the series in South Africa, then things could get a bit messy.

Jaques is expected to make a comeback in domestic cricket sometime before the South African series, but if he fails to find form in domestic cricket and Hayden gets dropped, Aussie selectors might then be forced to make young Philip Hughes open the batting with Katich at Cardiff for the first Ashes test.

 

[silentstriker]

I'm sure a certain someone will also use Sehwag as his new whipping boy when Hayden retires also.

Me? Nah, I never particularly rated Sehwag before this year. I still don't, as far as having him in the all time Indian XI is concerned. But now I'll concede he is a much better player than I expected him to be post-comeback.

 

[Ikki]

Me? Nah, I never particularly rated Sehwag before this year. I still don't, as far as having him in the all time Indian XI is concerned. But now I'll concede he is a much better player than I expected him to be post-comeback.

Nope, not you.

 

[Furball]

He and Gilchrist should have retired after the World Cup.

 

[GIMH]

I'm sure a certain someone will also use Sehwag as his new whipping boy when Hayden retires also.

Nope, not you.

Doubt it actually

 

[Mister Wright]

I think it's fair enough the selectors have given him one more test. It will be better for the team to have an experienced Hayden firing in South Africa and England. However, if he doesn't score runs in this test than we all know he's not going to South Africa and time to blood someone else or reinstate Jaques. Here's hoping he has two big scores in Sydney.

 

[BoyBrumby]

I think it's fair enough the selectors have given him one more test. It will be better for the team to have an experienced Hayden firing in South Africa and England. However, if he doesn't score runs in this test than we all know he's not going to South Africa and time to blood someone else or reinstate Jaques. Here's hoping he has two big scores in Sydney.

Would've looked better in a nice maroon font, tbh.

 

[Mister Wright]

Lol! Definitely biased. Hard to let your favourite player go. Would love to see him go through to the Ashes.

 

[Anil]

selectors expect hayden to play on

 

[aussie]

Good to see the selectors making that clear. There is some sense amongst those knuckleheads after all..

 

[cowboysfan]

he should retire and go to africa for some missionary work to atone for his sins.

 

[inbox24]

he should retire and go to africa for some missionary work to atone for his sins.

Works do not grant salvation nor do they atone for sins, but rather faith in Jesus Christ alone.

 

[susudear]

Works do not grant salvation nor do they atone for sins, but rather faith in Jesus Christ alone.

And Micheal Jackson. Oh wait....

 

[Lillian Thomson]

Presumably if he makes runs in the Third Test he won't be given any credit in the bashing circles as dead rubbers don't count (unless of course he fails again in which case he'll be doubly crap for failing in a dead rubber).

 

[longtom]

Works do not grant salvation nor do they atone for sins, but rather faith in Jesus Christ alone.

Amen!

 

[slowfinger]

So what if Hayden is having a bad time, everyone gets it, it is abnormal not to, the next thing is he scores 150 of 200 balls so dont judge him quite yet.