Matthew Lawrence Hayden

Profile:

On account of the absence of any real weaknesses in his game, left hander Matthew Hayden is a masterful opening batsman who is rarely unsettled and who hits the ball to all parts of the wicket. He possesses a beautifully uncomplicated technique which allows him to drive forcefully from the front foot and to issue thunderously executed cuts, hooks and pulls from the back. He is tall, powerfully built, and plays with muscular authority.

From the moment that he struck a magnificent 149 in his maiden first-class innings, Hayden has continued to demonstrate a seemingly unquenchable thirst for big scores. His sheer weight of runs for Queensland, Hampshire and Northamptonshire has made him one of domestic cricket's best performing batsmen of recent times and, though he struggled initially on his elevation in the mid-1990s, he has now begun to make a decisive mark for himself in the international arena as well.

Hayden's qualities were arguably best showcased during a phenomenal personal tour of India in early 2001 that netted him 549 Test runs from a mere six innings. Striking evidence of his ability also arrived in twin home series against New Zealand and South Africa in 2001-02, when he cracked four individual centuries and joined with fellow opener Justin Langer to produce a world-record four double century partnerships in the course of a single season.