Matthew Lawrence Hayden (born 29 October 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former
cricket
Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...
er. His career spanned fifteen years. Hayden was a powerful and aggressive left-handed
opening batsman who, along with opening partners
Justin Langer and
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist (; born 14 November 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer and List of Australia national cricket captains, captain of the Australia national cricket team. He was an attacking left-h ...
, contributed heavily to Australia's success during its "golden era" (2000–2008) in
Test and
ODI (One Day International) cricket respectively. He holds the record of highest individual score by an Australian batsman in
Tests
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film) ...
, having scored 380 against Zimbabwe during Zimbabwe's 2003 tour of Australia. This stands as the second-highest individual score in test cricket (behind
Brian Lara‘s 400*). It is the highest score by an opening batsman in Tests, though infamously he never faced the opening ball in Tests with Langer, always batting at No2. Hayden was a member of the Australian team that won both the
2003 Cricket World Cup, and the
2007 Cricket World Cup.
Domestically, Hayden played for the state he was born in, Queensland, and also played for the state's
Twenty20 (T20) competition team, the Brisbane Heat. Hayden retired from all forms of cricket in September 2012.
In 2017, Hayden was inducted into the
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame. In September 2021, Hayden was appointed as the Batting Coach of
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
for the
2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup.
Personal life and beyond cricket
Hayden competed in the
Gladiator Team Sports Challenge in 1995, Hayden's boat capsized near
North Stradbroke Island; he and his two companions (one of whom was
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
and Australian teammate
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds (9 June 1975 – 14 May 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, who played all three formats as a batting all-rounder. Commonly nicknamed "Roy", he was a key member of two Cricket World Cup, World Cup–winning squads. ...
and the other was Trent Butler) were forced to swim a kilometre to safety. Hayden subsequently appeared in a campaign promoting marine safety. In his spare time, Hayden is a keen cook and occasionally prepared meals for his teammates while on tour. A collection of his recipes was published in Australia in 2004 as ''The Matthew Hayden Cookbook''. A second book, ''The Matthew Hayden Cookbook 2'', was published in 2006. Prior to using a Mongoose, Hayden used a
Gray-Nicolls bat with a fluorescent pink grip, to highlight and support research into a cure for breast cancer. This is at least in part inspired by his teammate
Glenn McGrath's wife, who died due to breast cancer. He is married to Kellie and has three children
Hayden is a devout
Roman Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
and said, "''When I’m in trouble, I ask: ‘What would Christ do?''
'" He also routinely
crossed himself on the field after reaching a century. When asked about faith in modern society, Hayden said, "''I think it’s very challenging to live as a Christian, or any sort of religion, in terms of modern day society. I think it’s very difficult as a young adult, and I think I really struggled with that over a long period of time"''. Hayden was awarded the
Australian Sports Medal on 14 July 2000. In 2009, as part of the
Q150 celebrations, Matthew Hayden was announced as one of the
Q150 Icons of Queensland for his role as a "sports legend". On 26 January 2010 he was appointed a Member of the
Order of Australia
The Order of Australia is an Australian honours and awards system, Australian honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Monarch ...
for service to cricket, and to the community through support for a range of health, youth and charitable organisations. Hayden is an Ambassador for the
Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.
Domestic career
First-class career
Hayden played
Sheffield Shield
The Sheffield Shield is the domestic first-class cricket competition of Australia. The tournament is contested between teams representing the six states of Australia. The Sheffield Shield is named after Henry Holroyd, 3rd Earl of Sheffield, Lor ...
cricket for
Queensland
Queensland ( , commonly abbreviated as Qld) is a States and territories of Australia, state in northeastern Australia, and is the second-largest and third-most populous state in Australia. It is bordered by the Northern Territory, South Austr ...
, playing 101 matches, and scoring 8831 runs at an average of 54.85. He also played in the
English County Championship
The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...
, first with
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...
in 1997 and prominently as captain of
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire ( ; abbreviated Northants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Leicestershire, Rutland and Lincolnshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshi ...
in 1999–2000; his County record is 3461 runs at 55.82. Hayden's first-class career yielded 24,603 runs at an average of 52.57.
Twenty20 (T20) career
Matthew Hayden played for the
Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural
Indian Premier League
The Indian Premier League (IPL) is a professional Twenty20 (T20) cricket league in India, organised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Founded in 2007, it features ten city-based Professional sports league organization, fr ...
(
IPL) in April 2008, contracted for $375,000. Hayden became one of the foremost players in the league, and in 2009 won the Orange Cap as the season's highest run-scorer, with 572 runs.
In 2011–12, Hayden resigned from his positions on the Queensland and Australian cricket boards to take part for the
Brisbane Heat in Australia's
Big Bash League.
On 11 March 2010, Hayden announced his intention to use the
Mongoose Cricket Bat, a bat specially tailored to the needs of Twenty20 cricket, during the 2010 IPL. Reactions to the bat were mixed. Stuart Law said that he would think 'twice' before using the Mongoose, while MS Dhoni said in his column that he believed in Hayden's ability 'no matter what means he uses'. After a quiet start to the third edition of the IPL, Hayden scored 93 off 43 deliveries to kickstart his campaign.
International career
Test career
Hayden and
Michael Slater were both picked for the 1993 tour of England, but Slater performed better in the tour games, and secured the opening position alongside vice-captain
Mark Taylor for the next few years. Hayden played a single test in the 4–8 March 1994 Test Match against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
in
Johannesburg
Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu language, Zulu and Xhosa language, Xhosa: eGoli ) (colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, Jo'burg or "The City of Gold") is the most populous city in South Africa. With 5,538,596 people in the City of Johannesburg alon ...
, scoring 15 and 5, filling in for an injured Taylor.
His next Test selection was in the 1996–97 season, with three tests each against the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
and
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
. He made his maiden century (125 against the
West Indies
The West Indies is an island subregion of the Americas, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea, which comprises 13 independent island country, island countries and 19 dependent territory, dependencies in thr ...
in
Adelaide
Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...
), but averaged only 24.1 over the six tests, including four ducks. He was dropped from the team, as the selectors favoured other openers, initially Taylor and
Matthew Elliott, then later Slater and
Greg Blewett, for the next few years. At the time, he was compared occasionally to
Graeme Hick, a fine domestic performer but not quite good enough to make it at the highest level.
During these years, Hayden was a prolific batsman for the
Queensland first-class cricket team. Weight of domestic cricket
runs, and persistence, resulted in a resurrection of his international career for the 1999–2000 tour of New Zealand and the following 2000–01 summer against the West Indies. His results in those series were unconvincing, but he was still picked for the 2001 tour of India.
On that tour of India, Hayden scored 549 runs, an Australian record for a three-Test series, at an average of 109.80. Before the 2001 India tour, Hayden averaged 24.36 from 13 Tests, with one century. After that, he was an automatic selection for the Test side. He scored over 1,000 Test runs in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2005, the first man to achieve the feat five times. He was selected as one of
Wisden's five 2003
Cricketers of the Year.
In the first innings of the First Test against
Zimbabwe
file:Zimbabwe, relief map.jpg, upright=1.22, Zimbabwe, relief map
Zimbabwe, officially the Republic of Zimbabwe, is a landlocked country in Southeast Africa, between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, bordered by South Africa to the south, Bots ...
on 10 October 2003 at the
WACA, Hayden scored 380 runs from only 437 balls to set a new world record for an individual Test innings, passing the previous record of
Brian Lara (375), set in April 1994. Hayden's total remained the record until 12 April 2004, when Lara scored 400
not out. As of June 2024, it remains the second-highest innings in Test history, and is the highest ever by an Australian. For his performances in 2004, he was named in the World Test XI by ICC.
Hayden suffered a considerable form-slump towards the end of 2004, and went for sixteen consecutive tests without scoring a century. This continued into the highly anticipated
2005 Ashes, where Hayden failed to reach 40 in any of the first four tests, which put pressure on his position in the team; a hard-fought 138 from 303 balls in the Fifth Test at
The Oval arguably saved his career. This signalled a return to form for Hayden for the 2005/06 season, and he scored centuries in four consecutive Tests, including the Oval Test, then home Tests against the
ICC World XI and West Indies.
Hayden's form in the
2006-07 Ashes series against England was average; he failed to reach 40 in the first three innings of the series, but again returned to form with scores of 92 in Perth, and 153 in the Boxing Day Test. For his performances in 2006, he was again named in the World Test XI by ICC.

Hayden scored 30 centuries in his 103 tests. As of January 2025, this makes him one of only four Australians to have scored more test centuries than
Don Bradman
Sir Donald George Bradman (27 August 1908 – 25 February 2001), nicknamed "The Don", was an Australian international cricketer, widely acknowledged as the greatest batsman of all time. His cricketing successes have been claimed by Shane ...
(29 centuries in 52 tests), the other three being
Ricky Ponting,
Steve Waugh
Stephen Rodger Waugh (born 2 June 1965) is an Australian former international cricketer and twin brother of cricketer Mark Waugh. A right-handed batsman and a medium-pace bowler, Waugh is considered one of the greatest cricketers of all time. ...
and
Steve Smith. He also scored 29 half-centuries in Tests.
In 2007–2008, Hayden became the third Australian, after
Donald Bradman (four centuries in five Tests in 1947–48) and
David Boon (three tons in five Tests in 1991–92) to register three or more hundreds in a Test series against India. For his performances in 2007, he was named in the World Test XI by ICC.
Hayden has recorded three or more centuries in successive Tests three times: 2001–02 season, he registered four centuries in successive Tests against South Africa, at Adelaide, Melbourne, Sydney and Johannesburg; during 2005–06 with centuries against England at The Oval in 2005, against a World XI at Sydney, and against the West Indies at Brisbane and Hobart in 2005–06; and in 2007–2008 he scored three centuries in successive Tests against India.
The 2008–09 season was Hayden's final season of Test cricket. In nine Tests against India, New Zealand and South Africa, Hayden managed only 383 runs at 23.94, with two half-centuries and three ducks. His career ended when he was dropped from the ODI Australian team. Soon after Hayden announced his retirement from all international and first-class cricket prior to the tour of South Africa in 2008–09. His place was filled by young New South Wales opener
Phillip Hughes. He finished his test career with 8625 runs at an average of 50.73.
Hayden's most notable opening batting partner was
Justin Langer. The opening pair represented Australia in more than 100 Test innings. The pair made 5654 runs while batting together in opening partnerships, with an average of 51.88 runs per partnership; as of January 2019, only
Gordon Greenidge and
Desmond Haynes of the West Indies have scored more Test runs as an opening partnership, with 6,482 at an average of 47.31.
Hayden was a regular and successful
slip fielder for Australia, and he took 128 catches during his Test career.
ODI career
Hayden played as an opening batsman in the Australian team in 160
One Day International
One Day International (ODI) is a format of cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of fifty overs, with the game lasting up to 7 hours. The World Cup, generally held every four yea ...
s throughout his career. He made his ODI debut for Australia in 1993 against England, but after playing 13 ODIs in 1993 and 1994, he was dropped from the team until 2000.

Hayden played in the
Australian side that won the
2003 One Day International Cricket World Cup. He was dropped from the ODI squad because of poor form after The Ashes in 2005, but returned to the Australian squad in the 2006–07 Australian season after
Simon Katich fell out of favour and
Shane Watson was injured.
On 20 February 2007, Matthew Hayden posted his highest ODI score (181 not out) against
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
at
Seddon Park in
Hamilton
Hamilton may refer to:
* Alexander Hamilton (1755/1757–1804), first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States
* ''Hamilton'' (musical), a 2015 Broadway musical by Lin-Manuel Miranda
** ''Hamilton'' (al ...
. It was at the time the highest ODI score ever by an Australian and gave Hayden the unique distinction of holding both the Test and ODI record scores for an Australian batsman until the ODI record was broken by Shane Watson who scored 185* in 2011. His knock of 181* is the second highest ODI innings in a losing cause in ODI history just after
Charles Coventry's 194*.
He dominated the 2007 Cricket World Cup in the West Indies the tournament's best batsman, scoring three centuries before the completion of the Super 8s section of the tournament; he was only the third person to achieve this feat (the previous being
Mark Waugh and
Sourav Ganguly). The century against
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
came off just 66 balls and broke
John Davison's record for the fastest century in a World Cup. The Prime Minister of
St Kitts and Nevis awarded Hayden with honorary citizenship after the match. His record was broken by
Irish batsman
Kevin O'Brien in the
2011 World Cup when he struck a century off 50 balls against England. Hayden also became only the second player in World Cup history to surpass 600 runs in a single tournament; he scored 659 runs for the tournament at an average of 73.22. In September 2007, Hayden was named
ODI Player of the Year after his dominating performance throughout the World Cup. He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by ESPNcricinfo. For his performances in 2007, he was named in the World ODI XI by the ICC and ESPNcricinfo.
Hayden played only one more season of ODI cricket, his last match for Australia being the second final of the
2007–08 Commonwealth Bank Series.
Twenty20 Internationals
Hayden played nine Twenty20 Internationals for Australia, including the
2007 ICC World Twenty20. He was the tournament's top scorer, with 265 runs. He scored 308 runs in T20Is with the average of 51.33 when retiring. He was named in the 'Team of the Tournament' by ESPNcricinfo for the 2007 T20I World Cup.
For his performances in 2007, he was named in the World T20I XI by ESPNcricinfo.
Controversies
In the 2003 New Year's Test in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
against
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
, Hayden smashed a pavilion window in anger, after disagreeing with an umpire's decision to give him out. He was fined for this incident.
He was a party to the controversy that emerged from the
Second Test, 2007-08 Border-Gavaskar Trophy racism charges pressed by
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
against
India
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
, and was one of the witnesses for
Andrew Symonds
Andrew Symonds (9 June 1975 – 14 May 2022) was an Australian international cricketer, who played all three formats as a batting all-rounder. Commonly nicknamed "Roy", he was a key member of two Cricket World Cup, World Cup–winning squads. ...
's charges against
Harbhajan Singh. As a fallout of that instance in February 2008, Hayden was charged for a code of conduct violation by
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA) is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Cricket'. It is incorporated as an Australian Public Company ...
, for calling the
Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh an "obnoxious little weed", and for inviting
Indian fast bowler Ishant Sharma for a boxing bout, during an interview aired on Brisbane radio station.
He was reprimanded for his comment by Cricket Australia,
but maintained his innocence.
He was strongly criticised by the
BCCI and former Pakistan team captain
Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram (Punjabi language, Punjabi, ; born 3 June 1966) is a Pakistani cricket commentator, Coach (sport), coach, and former cricketer and captain (cricket), captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. Akram is regarded as one of the ...
for reportedly calling India a third world country. Back home after a 2–0 series defeat by India, Hayden spoke about what he perceived to be poor ground conditions and inordinate delays during the matches "that happen in Third World countries". However, Hayden defended his remarks.
International retirement
On 13 January 2009, Hayden held a press conference at
the Gabba
The Brisbane Cricket Ground, commonly known as the Gabba, is a major sports stadium in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia. The nickname Gabba derives from the suburb of Woolloongabba, in which it is located. Over the years, the Gab ...
and officially announced his retirement from representative cricket.
The announcement followed a series of relatively poor performances in
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and South Africa's tour of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, in which he failed to pass fifteen runs in nine innings. Paying tribute on his retirement, Hayden was hailed by teammates
Ricky Ponting and Justin Langer as being the greatest ever opener from Australia.
Hayden was recognised as statistically the best opener ever produced by the country.
Hayden was appointed by the Queensland Government in March 2013 to head a tourism campaign aiming to attract more Indian tourists to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
.
Career best performances
International centuries
With 30 Tests and 10 ODI centuries, Hayden is considered one of the best Australian openers of his era. He also scored 29 Test, 36 ODI and three T20I half-centuries.
Post retirement
Hayden has also been working with
Cricket Australia
Cricket Australia (CA) is the governing body for professional and amateur cricket in Australia. It was originally formed in 1905 as the 'Australian Board of Control for International Cricket'. It is incorporated as an Australian Public Company ...
in raising the profile of cricket among the indigenous population of
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. In 2010, he captained the Indigenous All-stars XI against the ACA Masters XI as part of the Imparja Cup held in
Alice Springs
Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...
,
Northern Territory
The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...
. Hayden is also an Ambassador of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation.
He was inducted into Australian Cricket Hall of Fame at the 2016/17 Allan Border Medal ceremony in Sydne
On September 13, 2021, he was announced as a head coach of
Pakistan
Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
for 2021 T20 World Cup. This was his first major coaching assignment. In September 2022, he was appointed as the Pakistan team's mentor for
2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, 2022 T20 World Cup.
See also
*
Adam Gilchrist
Adam Craig Gilchrist (; born 14 November 1971) is an Australian cricket commentator and former international cricketer and List of Australia national cricket captains, captain of the Australia national cricket team. He was an attacking left-h ...
*
Justin Langer
*
Ricky Ponting
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hayden, Matthew
1971 births
People educated at Marist College Ashgrove
Australia One Day International cricketers
Australia Test cricketers
Australia Twenty20 International cricketers
Australian cricketers
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame inductees
Allan Border Medal winners
Brisbane Heat cricketers
Cricketers at the 2003 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers from Queensland
Chennai Super Kings cricketers
Hampshire cricketers
ICC World XI One Day International cricketers
Living people
Members of the Order of Australia
Northamptonshire cricketers
Australian expatriate cricketers in England
Northamptonshire cricket captains
People from Kingaroy
Queensland cricketers
Queensland cricket captains
Recipients of the Australian Sports Medal
Wisden Cricketers of the Year
Wisden Leading Cricketers in the World
Queensland Greats
Australian cricket commentators
Australian Roman Catholics
Australian expatriate cricketers in India
20th-century Australian sportsmen
21st-century Australian sportsmen