Matthew Hayden Retires - Tribute Thread ***Breaking News***

[biased indian]

Don't like the guy..but a very good opener ..was the mainstay of aussie batting during there success in 2000's..now i think every team will be looking to have series against aussies before they are good again..

now all other 10 combined in the XI would have played only 30-35 games more than ponting .it should be one of the most inexperienced side Australia have had in a long time

 

[Craig]

His best innings ever was definitely the one in Sharjah, was an immense show of concentration, determination and fight, this single one time proved he was more than a one trick pony.

AWTA. That was hardcore that knock.

Sad he didn't announce it during the Sydney Test, where he could of recieved a standing ovation from the crowd and the South Africans.

 

[andmark]

I won't miss him, he got into fights too easily. Even when he was clearly wrong he would still think he was correct.He was an arrogant ****.

 

[Zinzan]

scored a century against New Zealand in the CB series at home .

If I'm not mistaken, this was the game when Vettori dropped him early on at mid-off, meaning he may well have saved Hayden's one-day career at the time

 

[Zinzan]

I won't miss him, he got into fights too easily. Even when he was clearly wrong he would still think he was correct.He was an arrogant ****.

Hope your not this honest at someones funeral

 

[Zinzan]

Brilliant player and will go down as an all-time great - a title, alas, that will never be bestowed upon Nasser or Athers

I'm sure 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of cricket fans out there would disagree about the Nasser/Athers comment

 

[Zinzan]

Never liked Hayden as a bloke to be perfectly honest, although I will say he was definitely a magnificent striker of a cricket ball, one who IMO just misses out on "all-time great" status. Obviously one of the great batsman of his era however.

I must add, I thought it was just me, but reading this thread I'm surprised just how many others genuinely didn't care for him as a person. Can't think of any other player receiving worst accolades on CW when retiring tbh.

 

[sanga1337]

Great player and arguably Australia's greatest opener ever. The right decision, maybe left it a bit late but o well.

Gets a lot of unfair hate IMO especially on this site. I think its a bit unfair to label him as an a-hole, and to also assume things about his personality such as him being an arrogant prick who always thinks he's right even when said person barely knows him. He always struck me as a genuine bloke who really loves the game and his family. Some of the things he has said haven't been too smart I'll admit (obnoxious weed comment) but he never struck me as a genuinely bad human being.

 

[four_or_six]

Really impressed with what Hayden's achieved since the end of the Ashes in 2005 when everyone was predicting doom and gloom. I don't think he's been the same since JL left and they were one of the best test opening partnerships ever. Also, always stuck up for his mates and said what he thought, liked that too... so many players just come out with the same old rubbish.

 

[pasag]

Saved the selectors a tough decision.

Nah, the other way around I reckon, was told his time is up so he 'retired'.

 

[pasag]

Sad to see the guy go this way and pisses me off to see the ill treatment the guy got from media and CA after doing so much for his team and country.

Yeah exactly, last season it was Gilchrist, this season Hayden, next summer I imagine the vultures will start with Ponting.

 

[Craig]

Yeah exactly, last season it was Gilchrist, this season Hayden, next summer I imagine the vultures will start with Ponting.

AWTA - it is a joke.

 

[pup11]

Really impressed with what Hayden's achieved since the end of the Ashes in 2005 when everyone was predicting doom and gloom. I don't think he's been the same since JL left and they were one of the best test opening partnerships ever. Also, always stuck up for his mates and said what he thought, liked that too... so many players just come out with the same old rubbish.

Yup really liked that about him too, brought a lot of camaraderie and sense of mateship into the Australian side and always was honest with his thoughts, though that quality really didn't make him a very popular bloke with a lot of people.

 

[The Sean]

This has been coming for a while and I'm not surprised, but still very disappointed.

I've always been a huge Matthew Hayden fan, but even I thought he'd blown his (occasional) chances in the 1990s and would be destined to go down as a FC legend but a nearly-man at Test level. That he managed to come back, fight his way into the side and become arguably Australia's greatest ever opener - certainly in the top echelon - is a testament to both his ability and his strength of will. He was one of the most valuable cricketers I've ever seen - when he made runs, Australia invariably did well. And he made them with such dominance that his impact on the psyche of the bowlers, like that of Viv Richards, was tremendous.

Well played Haydos, and enjoy your retirement. You will be missed.

 

[James90]

Onya 'dos. Has had a great career and picked the right time to go out. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd bounced back against South Africa and England but it's debatable whether we should and would have been picked.

Love the bloke so much though. Such a passionate cricketer. Worked so hard on his game. Hope he runs for parliament. Excellent speaker and public figure.

 

[pasag]

Hope he runs for parliament. Excellent speaker and public figure.

Was just thinking he's got the politician's look when he was standing there with his family.

 

[Ikki]

Yeah exactly, last season it was Gilchrist, this season Hayden, next summer I imagine the vultures will start with Ponting.

Effin aye. The clowns didn't make it easier for the guy, that's fore sure.

 

[NUFAN]

Loved Haydo's.

Terrific to watch, fantastic 50 to 100 conversion rate and such an important player in Australia's era of dominance.

He'll be missed, well done!

 

[pup11]

Yeah exactly, last season it was Gilchrist, this season Hayden, next summer I imagine the vultures will start with Ponting.

So true this, and i think people would realise how important a player Matty Hayden was when he would no longer be there, guys like Jaques and Hughes are quality players, but they ain't no Matty Hayden, the way Hayden use to set-up games for Australia from the top of the order with his aggressive stroke-play against the new ball used to give Australia a huge head-start in the game, and i believe though Australia have lost several great players in the last 24 months, but imo after Warne, Hayden would be the hardest to replace, because i don't think its just a coincidence that whenever Hayden has struggled during his career, Australia have also mostly gone onto lose, just shows how important he really was.

 

[pup11]

Onya 'dos. Has had a great career and picked the right time to go out. I wouldn't have been surprised if he'd bounced back against South Africa and England but it's debatable whether we should and would have been picked.

Love the bloke so much though. Such a passionate cricketer. Worked so hard on his game. Hope he runs for parliament. Excellent speaker and public figure.

Haydos can speak well, can't he, was really impressed with him during his interview in innings break of today' T20 game.