Aussie reminder in great's Hall of Fame nod
As Australian selectors mull another opening combination on the eve of the World Test Championship final, one of the best to do it, Matthew Hayden, was among seven cricket greats inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame.
Hayden opened for Australia for 16 years across Test and ODI cricket, once holding the record for the highest Test score after blasting 380 against Zimbabwe in Perth.
He finished his epic career with 30 Test hundreds, and his three centuries during the 2007 ODI World Cup also propelled Australia to victory.
Hayden formed a formidable partnership with Justin Langer during a period of Australian Test domination, in stark contrast to recent times when the opening position in the Test team has been a 'revolving door' according to current opener Usman Khawaja. Matthew Hayden raises his bat after breaking the world record of 375 runs by hitting 380 in 2003. Credit: News Limited
He said he remained in the dark about who would open with him at Lord's against South Africa in the WTC final that starts on Thursday, having been through four partners since David Warner's retirement.
'I've had a few partners since Davey's gone. It's just a tough place to bat,' Khawaja said.
'You can't hide in Test cricket. I think whoever's going to come in will do a good job, but for me, it's no different.'
Hayden made the spot his own in 273 matches for Australia across Tests, ODIs and T20s.
The powerful Queenslander blasted nearly 15,000 runs across the three formats, with 40 international hundreds, and he finished his career with a Test average of 50.73, putting him in rarefied air.
Indian legend MS Dhoni, Daniel Vettori, Hashim Amla, Graeme Smith, Sarah Taylor and Sana Mir were the other inductees.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Perth Now
34 minutes ago
- Perth Now
‘No regrets': Wildcats owner at peace with Cotton call
Perth Wildcats owner Mark Arena has declared he has no regrets about the decision to part ways with five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton but admits the club could have communicated the move better at the time. Cotton has signed a three-year deal with Adelaide after making a shock call to return to the NBL. The superstar recently revealed the Wildcats had given him a deadline to accept their contract offer shortly after the club's NBL campaign ended and he wasn't prepared to rush into signing any deal. Arena said the club did what it felt was right. 'No regrets,' he said at the launch of the club's new logo. 'We did what we thought is, and what we still believe is, right for the Wildcats. That's long term success both on and off the court. We felt we did that and totally back the decision we made collectively.' 'We had given him more than enough time. It was well over six months. A lot was reported. Was it three days? No. It was six months and three days.' Cotton's departure has robbed the Wildcats of the best player in the NBL and arguably the best player to ever play in the competition. But Arena pointed to recent championship winners Tasmania and Illawarra as examples of teams that took a vastly different approach to winning the title. 'We need to build a roster that can win a championship and that is more than one person,' he said. 'If you look at the last two seasons, they've been won by teams with great, well-rounded rosters. That's what we're looking to put together for this upcoming season. 'I'm confident we will put on the court a really, really solid roster that can challenge for a championship.' Mark Arena talking on Wednesday. Credit: Ian Munro / The West Australian The Wildcats ae still chasing a third import to work alongside Kristian Doolittle and Dylan Windler, plus an elite Australian. But Arena warned it would take more time to recruit the remaining players. The Wildcats signed both Doolittle and Windler extremely close to the start of the season and the club could follow a similar timeline this year. 'We are in a global market place for top talent on the basketball side,' Arena said. 'Europe's league are just finishing. It runs a lot longer than the NBL. Japan's just recently finished as well. We have a lot more time. 'You don't win the championship by signing people faster than others. You do it by having the best roster come round one. That's certainly our goal. 'Top Aussies, top Americans and top Europeans are in super high demand and have a multitude of options. We can't have a timeline when our next signing will be.'
West Australian
36 minutes ago
- West Australian
‘No regrets': Perth Wildcats owner Mark Arena at peace with how Bryce Cotton negotiations played out
Perth Wildcats owner Mark Arena has declared he has no regrets about the decision to part ways with five-time NBL MVP Bryce Cotton but admits the club could have communicated the move better at the time. Cotton has signed a three-year deal with Adelaide after making a shock call to return to the NBL. The superstar recently revealed the Wildcats had given him a deadline to accept their contract offer shortly after the club's NBL campaign ended and he wasn't prepared to rush into signing any deal. Arena said the club did what it felt was right. 'No regrets,' he said at the launch of the club's new logo. 'We did what we thought is, and what we still believe is, right for the Wildcats. That's long term success both on and off the court. WE felt we did that and totally back the decision we made collectively.' 'We had given him more than enough time. It was well over six months. A lot was reported. Was it three days? No. It was six months and three days.' Cotton's departure has robbed the Wildcats of the best player in the NBL and arguably the best player to ever play in the competition. But Arena pointed to recent championship winners Tasmania and Illawarra as examples of teams that took a vastly different approach to winning the title. 'We need to build a roster that can win a championship and that is more than one person,' he said. 'If you look at the last two seasons, they've been won by teams with great, well-rounded rosters. That's what we're looking to put together for this upcoming season. 'I'm confident we will put on the court a really, really solid roster that can challenge for a championship.' The Wildcats ae still chasing a third import to work alongside Kristian Doolittle and Dylan Windler, plus an elite Australian. But Arena warned it would take more time to recruit the remaining players. The Wildcats signed both Doolittle and Windler extremely close to the start of the season and the club could follow a similar timeline this year. 'We are in a global market place for top talent on the basketball side,' Arena said. 'Europe's league are just finishing. It runs a lot longer than the NBL. Japan's just recently finished as well. We have a lot more time. 'You don't win the championship by signing people faster than others. You do it by having the best roster come round one. That's certainly our goal. 'Top Aussies, top Americans and top Europeans are in super high demand and have a multitude of options. We can't have a timeline when our next signing will be.'
The Age
an hour ago
- The Age
Socceroos fans furious after hitting FIFA World Cup qualifier paywall
Socceroos fans who woke at 4am on Tuesday to watch their team qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were surprised to find themselves locked behind the Paramount+ paywall, despite other qualifying matches being broadcast on free-to-air television. 'What will be said in offices around Australia today? 'Really? [Didn't you watch it?]'. 'No, I couldn't watch it. I don't have Paramount',' said one X user, as others claimed the cost of a subscription wouldn't help build a fan base. Blayne Treadgold, secretary of the Football Supporters Association Australia, said the Socceroos and Matildas were 'for everyone' and that it was important for major games to be accessible to fans. 'The more eyes that we can get on these games, the more benefit there is for the game itself,' said Treadgold, who said access to the sport was vital for 'encouraging and inspiring that next generation to get involved in the game, whether that be in a playing capacity or a supporter capacity'. 'From a fan perspective, [free-to-air television] is hugely important, but the other side of the coin, which we understand, is [that] there's also a commercial reality for the sport itself. That funding needs to come from somewhere, like any other sport. Much of it comes from the ability to sell broadcasting rights. I guess it's about finding that balance,' he said. Wednesday morning's game was behind a paywall because of quirks in Australia's anti-siphoning laws, which govern what sporting events are free for Australian viewers. What are anti-siphoning laws?
