The Great Matthew Hayden

[thierry henry]

4 or 5 years ago I used to come on here and bag out Hayden at the peak of his powers, saying that he was no fun to watch, that his batting seemed to lack nuance, and that surely this would eventually result in a bad trot against good bowling

Somehow I've ended up almost typecast as a Hayden fan on these forums simply because I cannot believe the vitriol spouted at him here

All things being equal, I'd be saying well done Hayden on a fine career, but I never much enjoyed your batting and think your record slightly overstates your ability

However- given the situation I'm in here, I feel almost compelled to shower him with praise

 

[krkode]

Hardly. He makes a dumb comment occasionally, big deal. Some people need to get some perspective really and not form such strong opinions based on sensationalist headlines from cricinfo. He's far from a saint, but stuff like calling him a prick is silly.

I think any of us making any sort of character judgement about people we hardly know is silly. But then what would be talk about?

That said, my thoughts on Hayden, keeping all character judgement aside were made clear earlier. I think he's awesome and beastly.

 

[Perm]

Would be interesting to hear reasons why you think Morris would be a definate, because as Faaip rightly mentioned given that Australia hasn't produced a truly world class opener in the callibre of a Hobbs, Hutton, Gavaskar, Richards or Greenidge. Its still a very much open question who the greatest Australia opener/s is.

Just the things I've read about him, he was a brilliant batsman. Just personal preference really.

 

[nightprowler10]

Hmm, people running away with the 'sorry excuse for a human being' comment methinks. I saw it as a tongue in cheek comment where people tend to exaggerate when talking sports. I tell everyone that the world be a better place without Green Bay, I obviously don't mean that. That said, I do dislike Hayden, but appreciate his batting talent.

 

[howardj]

Distinctly remember this guy's career early on. As someone old enough to recall, I can tell you that the mental toughness he showed to make it back to the big stage, and just the strength of character in general, was something to be admired. He was ridiculously optimistic about making it back, and it's that optimism and strength that every young person going through a difficult time, has within them if they look hard enough.