Matthew Hayden

Lore & Background

Hayden competed in the Gladiator Team Sports Challenge in 1995. His boat capsized near North Stradbroke Island; he and his two companions (one of whom was Andrew Symonds and the other 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 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. 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 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.

In Their Own Story

The morning sun glinted off the polished red leather ball as Matthew Hayden stepped out to the crease at the Sydney Cricket Ground. The crowd was already buzzing, sensing that something extraordinary was about to unfold. With his distinctive stance and a bat held high, he didn't wait for the bowler to settle; instead, he met the first delivery with a thunderous pull shot that rocketed into the stands. It was not just an innings; it was a declaration of intent, a masterclass in power hitting that would eventually etch his name permanently into the history books.

Reader's Guide

Hayden played Sheffield Shield cricket for Queensland, playing 101 matches, and scoring 8831 runs at an average of 54.85. He also played in the English County Championship, first with Hampshire in 1997 and prominently as captain of Northamptonshire 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. In Twenty20 cricket, Hayden played for the Chennai Super Kings in the inaugural Indian Premier League in April 2008, contracted for $375,000. In 2009 he 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 during the 2010 IPL. After a quiet start to the third edition of the IPL, Hayden scored 93 off 43 deliveries to kickstart his campaign. In Test cricket, 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 (29 centuries in 52 tests), the other three being Ricky Ponting, Steve Waugh and Steve Smith. He also scored 29 half-centuries in Tests. Hayden has recorded three or more centuries in successive Tests three times: 2001–02 season against South Africa; during 2005–06 against England, a World XI, and the West Indies; and in 2007–2008 against India.

Did You Know?

• Hayden's 380 against Zimbabwe in 2003 at the WACA was the highest individual score in Test cricket until Brian Lara's 400* in 2004.
• He was selected as one of Wisden's five 2003 Cricketers of the Year.
• Hayden was named in the ICC World Test XI in 2004, 2006, and 2007.
• He scored over 1,000 Test runs in each year from 2001 to 2005, the first man to achieve the feat five times.