A Battle Won, Hayden Fires Up For Another Test

The Sunday Age

Sunday October 30, 2005

WILL SWANTON

WHEN Matthew Hayden first started losing the magic, when he couldn't find a big score for love nor money, when the usually reliable opener stumbled from one disappointment to another and his Test place was brought into serious question, he grabbed a marker pen and wrote on the back of his bat: "This is worth fighting for".

And before the fifth Ashes Test, when Hayden was preparing for his one last chance to salvage his career, he sat at a cafe for hours with Justin Langer and one of the world's most enthusiastic coffee drinkers, Damien Martyn, and they told him how valuable and worthy he was.

Between the note to self and the positive influence of the people whose opinions matter the most to him - his teammates - Hayden came good.

The battle has been won.

"I wrote on my bat to remind myself this was what I wanted to do," Hayden said leading into the first Test against the West Indies at the Gabba this week.

"It was just for me to look at before every ball. Little things like that can help you out. When guys in your team tell you you're all right, it makes you think that you're all right."

Not until his century at the Oval, followed by another ton in the Super Series Test at the SCG, could Hayden tell himself he had prevailed. Hence the immense satisfaction, the relief, the supreme optimism going into the Frank Worrell Trophy series.

Asked if he believed he was playing for his place in the final Test against England, Hayden said: "I didn't care. I don't mean that I didn't care because I didn't want to play for Australia, you know how much that means to me. But all I cared about was the match. You're playing for your spot every time you bat for Australia, one way or another. None of us is immortal."

Langer recalled the chinwag with Hayden and Martyn. "We speak a lot," he said. "We're great mates.

"It was no surprise for me to see him make a century in the final Test. It just proves that you never write off champions. He went through a tough period and will be stronger for it."

Hayden was so close to being axed in England he was almost touching the blade. If Glenn McGrath had been unfit for the Oval match because of his elbow injury, Hayden was gone. Captain Ricky Ponting and the selectors were leaning towards using five bowlers in McGrath's absence and omitting a batsman - Hayden. There are no such thoughts any more, and probably won't be for a long time. When Hayden runs hot, he usually runs hot for a while.

West Indian livewire Tino Best signalled the beginning of hostilities with Hayden this summer with a first-ball beamer in the tour match in Brisbane on Thursday. Best has a reputation for delivering an inordinate number of head-high full tosses but Hayden carried no ill feelings, although beamers can cause serious injury.

"I thought I would be more fired up," Hayden said. "He was apologetic. I couldn't get angry at him. He's a great little bloke."

© 2005 The Sunday Age

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